bunnycates

**Originally posted on www.bunnycates.com**Before I start out let me just say that I have always had a hard time reviewing non-fiction work. I am not sure why, but something about it not being “made up” makes it hard for me to form opinions on it. I mean, it HAPPENED. So, there ya go. LOL. With that being said: a little warning on this book.This book is sold as a non-fiction, true story, memoir. It is about a woman who loses her husband, and after his death hears his voice and continues to have conversations with him post mortem – which helps her deal with the aftermath of losing a spouse. If you don’t believe in that type of thing and/or you are not open to the possibility of that, you probably shouldn’t read this book. It is not for you.If you are open to the possibility of that, then DO read this book. It is beautiful. It is heart breaking. It is a blessing, and it is amazing. In truth, I think I started crying around page 20 and didn’t stop until the end of the book. The Gift Giver: A True Story by Jennifer Hawkins is very well written, and the story just flows. I, the reader, felt like I knew these people. I wanted to be there for them, hug them, and see them get through this hardship. I thought it was very inspirational. In the end, it shows that through even the worst of circumstances – there will always be hope. Hope that even the “bad things” that happen have reason. Hope that those we care about know how much we love them. Hope that the things we do (and don’t do)…matter.In Conclusion:I thought this was an excellent read, but be warned…you WILL need kleenex.

**Originally posted on www.bunnycates.com **When I first started in on this book, I have to admit I was a little disappointed. I mean 40 some odd pages in and still NOTHING had “happened”. I’m glad I stuck with it, though. I enjoyed the characters, Arthur, especially. I just kept waiting for something scary to happen, and it never did. Nothing made me pull my covers up over my face or get up and turn some more lights on. I told my friend that it was not a scary book, per say; but more an old time ghost story told by kids at summer camp about a scary house up the road from camp. The “scary” was more that you were on pins and needles WAITING for something scary. LOLAt first I was really surprised that the powers that be in Hollywood adapted this book to film. It’s a ghost story but with no big “BOO!” moments. But the more I think about it, this may be the one instance where the movie is better than the book. I can totally see where having some “visuals” would help intensify the story. Good story, but not “horror”. I would classify this book as more “Paranormal” “Suspense”.In Conclusion:I liked this book well enough. It was just really slow getting going. I would recommend it to people who like “ghost stories”. I also have full intensions of watching the movie!Mom Notes: Not scary, just suspenseful. Deals with sadness and death. Would say ages “advanced” 10+

This book was just "ok" for me. Would be good for middle grade, I think. The characters just weren't that likable to me (typical tomboy angry older sister, nerdy quiet younger brother) the story line was ok. I just felt like I'd read it a thousand times in a thousand other books. Think Spiderwick & 13 Treasures, only no where near as developed or good. Take the other stories and replace bad fairies with "plants", and you've got the idea. Notes:This book could use a re-edit. Several typos, and punctuation misses such as missing end quotes - etc.*I will be picking up book 2 when it comes out, to see where the story goes.**I got this book FREE off of amazon for my kindle. It was FREE. I don't think I would be pleased had I BOUGHT it. The story just kind of glugged along and the typos are a real "turn off".***UPDATING***After reading some "real shitz" books lately, I realize I was a little hard on this book in this review. After having "sat" on it a while, I actually liked the story. The characters needed a little work for me, as a grownup, but my kids had no issues with the book. Enjoying it with the kids - made it a better experience. If that makes sense. Am looking forward to seeing how the story progresses.

** Originally posted on BunnyCates.com **I was sent this lovely as a gift from a friend who knew I wanted it! Thank you, friend!Graveminder by Melissa Marr was a quick over night read for me. You can see my Goodreads updates here. I started crying around page 20 and cried off and on through the rest of the book. Something about the girl loosing her Gran really got me, and it connected me to the characters hard!I’m not going to lie, there are some typos in this book. But even so, it wasn’t enough to make me dislike the story. I loved it, and hope there are more to come! I still say shame on her editors.I was looking at some of the other reviews, (because everyone was shocked I was crying – so I wanted to see what others were saying about this book) and had to laugh because people are fierce in proclaiming this is not a zombie book. I wanted to touch on this, to just kind of get my opinion out there. This is not a “typical” zombie book, no. HOWEVER, in this book – dead people don’t stay dead. They come back and eat you. They are not vampires, so what would you call them? “The undead”? “Walkers”? “Creepy people who are no longer alive, been buried, and come back wanting to eat you”? Uhhhh –> zombies. Yep, that pretty much fits it.For me, the “zombies” weren’t even the meat of the story the people were. (No pun intended. ha!) The “bigger picture” was. Life, death, the relationships formed in between. Fate, karma, and the choices we think we make for ourselves. Friendship, love, and the strength it takes to create and maintain it. For me this book was so much more than the zombies on the pages with in it.About the crying… I cried. A lot. I guess I am a freaknut though because I saw no other mention of “sadness” in any of the other reviews I read. Seriously, I am starting to think I am crazy. ha. I thought the writing was fantastic and flowed. I read it in an overnight, so I’d say if flowed fairly well!The characters – I loved them. All. Even the “side” characters. I think I actually like Amity more than I liked the main character, Rebekkah. I was heartbroken with Maylene. I thought Mr D was sexy as *bleep*. Like Gary Oldman as young Dracula, sexy. You know. Eery, creepy, naughty, and still… STILL you wanted to touch. Just a little. A stroke of the hand or a brush of the hair. I could see Johnny Depp (if he’d go back dirty again) in role for Mr D. No kidding.I thought the world building was fantastic. I hope there are more books in this story because there is so much room to expand on. Even though this is a “complete story”, and it could be DONE. I would love to see more. Especially more of Charles, aka Mr D – and the other “people” there, in his world. There were just enough hints and “openings” that more books in this series could be imagined!In Conclusion:I loved this book. For some reason, I didn’t find it scary. I found it sad. I cried. Would totally recommend to my “paranormal reads” loving friends!Mom Notes:Contains: death, drinking, “limbo”, etc. May not be suitable for children under say 13-14. I think I would let my oldest read it, but probably not my youngest. I could see it confusing younger ones with regards to their faith, death, etc. Then again, I got something out of this book different than apparently every other person on the planet who read it, so… who am I to judge? ha.

Good fast read! Murder, scandal, embezzling, mystery. Everything you'd want in a good thriller. The dialog felt a little forced and the translations (added for the benefit of the reader) took a little away from the pacing but neither were so off putting that they ruined the story flow for me.Kept thinking this book would make an excellent episode on CASTLE! =DKudos to Russell Brooks, for this book was very entertaining!*Language warning: cussing including gd and the f-bomb. Its ok though, this book is adult thriller genre not YA.

This is just some "common sense" tips to taking photos. Read it in less than an hour. Im not a photographer, and only had my dslr less than a month. Nothing in the book I didn't know already. So that was a little disappointing.I found it an easy read, and well organized.

**Review originally posted on www.BunnyCates.com**I will say upfront – I loved this book. There, end of review.HAHA, I’m just kidding. I did love it though. I had borrowed a copy from a friend and then was sad I had to give it back before I could get to it. Luckily, I ended up reading it as my first OFFICIAL read on my kindle. (read my GoodReads status updates) I liked it so much, I fully intend on picking up a hardback copy for my home library. I think it will fit in lovely next to my copy of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. =DStory wise this book is different and cute. We follow Hansel and Gretel as they adventure through (and become part of) several of the Grimm’s other fairytales. The adventures are dark, as Grimm’s tales should be, but definitely written with children in mind.Writing wise this author has a very Gaiman feel to his work. This book had an excellent pace, great arc, and witty witty rhetoric. (that means the narrator made me L-O-L). I could see reading this one aloud to wide eyed audiences of tweens. The way the narrator interjects and interrupts the story with “warnings” of what is to come was so entertaining. Even to me, as a grown up.I imagine if Lemony Snicket and Neil Gaiman – wrote a book together… It would come out about like this one right here.“Once upon a time, fairy tales were AWESOME!” - Adam Gidwitz, A Tale Dark and Grimm Indeed! It would seem they are becoming so, again! =DI don’t normally give a star rating, but if I were to on this one – I would give it 4/5. (Come on, I can’t 5 it, it’s not the Bible.) Favorite quote from this book:“You see, Hansel and Gretel don’t just show up at the end of this story. They show up. And then they get their heads cut off. Just thought you’d like to know.” - Adam Gidwitz, A Tale Dark and Grimm *Moms note: this book is considered “gory” by childrens books standards. I did not find it gory at all – but I read horror and slasher books, often. I am a little de-sensitized in that area. You may want to give it a flip through before handing it off to your little ones. There is nothing GRAPHIC, just gory actions (like a beheading etc. not described much in detail but the action itself is in the book.) I have no issues letting my children read this book.

***Originally posted on BUNNYCATES.COM***For the video review, unboxing video, and giveaay - please see the review post on my site. Thanks.*****************************************I love this entire series. I really liked book one, the Magic of Finkleton (read my review here). As much as I liked book one, I LOVED book two!In book two the kids are a little older, and so is the writing style. It’s almost like Mrs Hilton is letting the kid readers – grow along with the story. Book One was more for say 6 and up with help reading the bigger words. Book Two is like ages 8 and up, no help required. So it’s gone from Childrens book to Middle Grade, if that makes sense. I think it’s fantastic.The Return to Finkleton is book two in the series, but it is also written well enough that it can be read as a stand alone. If you haven’t read book one, you won’t be lost at all. I love series when they are written this way. Each book is it’s own complete story, which in the end will go together to tell the BIGGER story.For the series itself, in my mind I can see so many possibilities on where the storylines could go! I mean these kids have their entire lives to live, so much can happen between 8 and 80, you know? I am glad that another book is already in the works. There is a sneak peek of it at the end of RtF , “Saving Finkelton”!Character wise, each of the three siblings (Robert, Jack, and Lizzie) are very well fleshed out. Their personalities are as defined as their looks, which in my opinion, most childrens books miss the mark on. I love that they are ALL smart, whether it be book smart or “street smart”. Their personalities help to define the family dynamic, and I love that as well. So many books now a days have characters with a strong sense of self. So strong that the sense of “FAMILY” gets lost along the way. Not in Finkleton. In the Finkleton series, “FAMILY” is forefront. We need to see more of that in our childrens literature!Plot wise, there is nothing I want to tell you that’s not already stated in the synopsis. This story is as much a mystery as it is an adventure. I would hate myself if I thought I “spoiled” the book for anyone! I will say that even though it is the “MAGIC” of Finkleton series, there are no witches or anything like that in it. It’s more a “fairy tale” type magic. Think faerie type magic and you are leading in the right direction. BUT with that said – there are no fae in Finkleton either. Or are there? hmmmmm LOL. In Conclusion:I’m a fan of this entire series, and not just because I helped edit the second book! I think it’s fantastic for little ones. This one helps in teaching the lesson of “accountability” and the repercussions of ones actions.Mom Notes:Great series! I would say good for age 7 (advanced readers)+ Dont miss our EPIC Return to Finkleton Giveaway!

** Originally posted on www.BunnyCates.com **I was pleasantly surprised how cute this book is! Not only did Mrs Wenger write an entertaining retelling (with an important lesson) but she illustrated it perfectly! There are the cutest hand drawn sketches through out the book that helped give the story the visual aspect that is so important to younger readers. They are also “line art” type sketches, so I can imagine many a little one would love to give this art work their very own flair with splashes of crayons!Much like the classic Red Riding Hood, this version has a lesson to be learned and that lesson is “don’t judge a book by its cover” so to speak. Throughout her journey to Grandmothers house, Red meets a lot of new fun friends. True to the original, Red gets quite a surprise when she reaches her destination. As a mom, I could see reading this to/with say 3 to 6 or 7 year olds. The story is a little quick read, and I think is sure to entertain. “Challenge” wise it was definitely under Bug’s reading level. She is 5th grade reading on 8th grade level, but story wise – she smiled the whole way through so I would say it would be a great pick for like 7 years and under.

**Originally posted at www.bunnycates.com/reading **My Thoughts:I actually read this around Halloween of last year and forgot to put the review up on my blog, so my memory of it may be a little foggy. I’ve been flipping back through it to get a refresher, so this review is based loosely off of memory and mostly off of notes I wrote myself and smaller reviews I had posted as placeholders until I wrote this.Those Across the River started out slow for me. I was afraid I was going to hate the characters too, since we’re introduced to the main couple – who are basically run out of town over being caught in an affair. Not my kind of people. Made it hard for me to like them. Once they got away from the city and out into the family estate down in the bottoms of Georgia, they grew on me.I’m struggling trying to decide what to tell you about the story. I hate to be the one dropping the “spoilers”. Ok, so this man inherits an estate when his aunt passes – and it is delivered to him along with a warning to sell it immediately. Of course, being what it is – and their current circumstance, he and his lady friend “flee” (as I said – they’d been busted having an affair) to the estate in hopes of making it their home. This family estate is nestled in the quaint little village of Whitbrow. The way the town is described – I expect you could turn any corner and find good ole Ned Beatty doing his “squeal like a pig” from Deliverance. For you younger folks – I’m saying it was a very hillbilly, back woods, community just south of nowhere and east of howthef*didIgethere. Once Frank and Eudora (thats the man and his woman) get settled in, and think they are going to like it down in Whitbrow – they realize something is not quite right and most of the town is probably bat-shit crazy. A sacrificial ceremony might make one think that. I’d hope. LOLAt this point, I am no longer comfortable telling you what happens – because it will spoil the book. I will just say, I thought something was happening and though I was kind of right…I was SO wrong. I’ve read a lot of horror/thriller/paranormal stuff, so its pretty hard to surprise or “eek” me out. I want to say, any book that can give goosebumps – is a well written book. At the point where we are reading and finding out WHAT it is, exactly, across the river… that entire sequence had my arms covered in goosebumples. I thought it was well written, and totally had me squinched down in my bed with the covers pulled up tight and ALL of the lights on. haha.In Conclusion:This book was very creepy. It did start out slow, to let you get to know the characters a little before all the weird stuff starts happening. Stick with it, it does pick up. I read it in a day and was completely hooked and creeped out by page 100, according to my reading updates. Great read, would recommend to all my horror loving friends. =)Mom Notes:I actually read this last year and can’t remember if there was anything major. I do remember some violent scenes, with blood etc. Probably best kept to those ages 13-14+

**Originally posted on www.bunnycates.com*** I was lucky enough to receive this book for review earlier this month, and I couldn’t wait to read it!  The cover alone is creepy enough to make ya want to flip through and see what’s up!  YAY for awesome covers!  I started reading Envy the night I got it, and finished it the next night!  Envy (Empty Coffin) has everything I like in a book.  We enjoy a little drama, a little mystery, a little suspense, and a little paranormal.  I really found myself sucked in within a few pages, and hated putting it down to go to sleep. For the characters:  I loved them.   LOVED them.  ALL OF THEM (even the douchey wannabe reporter).  I think my favorite was Shania, and I can’t tell you why but you’ll KNOW why when you read the book.  I found the twins (and their gifts) to be very captivating, and the storyline was “omgosh, what!?”  lol!  For the plot:  Wow.  There is a suicide (or is it!?), some twins with that freaky thing TWINS do, secrets from the past, a skeevey reporter, dead kids…  Again, I say – WOW.  Since this book is all “mysteryish” I can’t really delve into the plot.  I don’t want to spoil it for anyone.  I’m sorry.  I realize this review is really a non-review with “READ IT” added at the end.  But, what can I do?  I don’t want to be the spoiler!  LOLI thoroughly enjoyed Envy, it was a good – fast paced – read.  I am also very interested to see how this series is going to go.  If it continues to follow the twins, I mean – how many murder mysteries can there actually be for them to solve?  They’re high school kids.  If it doesn’t continue to follow the twins, will it follow other kids with “powers”?  I don’t know.  I can’t wait to find out though.Great story, great characters, great ending - I definitely say “READ IT”.

I received this book for review from the publisher and was so excited. My thinking was a grown up book would be a nice change from the YA rut I’ve been stuck in lately. Not that YA is bad, just sometimes it’s nice to read something different. If that makes any sense! Anyway, The Stranger You Seek: A Novel by Amanda Kyle Williams sure did not let me down! I loved it!Like the synopsis above says: This is a murder mystery. There is a wicked serial killer on the loose in the south. In this book, we follow a PI (ex-FBI) and a PO-leese-Man as they track down the killer. Unfortunately for them, the killer takes just as much an interest in THEM. So this story becomes not only a hunt for the killer but a race against time – to find him before he gets them!Keye, the main character is a recovering alcoholic. She’d been fired from the FBI, and is now a P.I. I loved her. She reminded me of a female Dr. House only with a gun instead of a stethoscope. She is a strong female, who doesn’t take any shit. She has a quick whit and a sharp tongue. She is very smart. It all makes for a realistic, likable, character.As much as I liked Keye, she still wasn’t my favorite character in the story. I loved her assistant Neil. LOVED HIM. lol. He is this pot smoking surfy dude that some how ended up down in Georgia. So out of place, so smart, so funny.

**Originally posted on www.bunnycates.com**I received this book for review, and was blown away by it’s gorgeousness! I sat down and started to flip through it and was so sad to find out it was a BOOK TWO in a series!  bah!  You guys know me, and how I hate to read a series out of order, so I ended up setting it aside until I could get the first book in the series.  I got 13 Treasures : book one (my review is here) and omgosh LOVED LOVED LOVED it.  Uhm… Did I mention I like it?  So as soon as I finished 13 Treasures, I started 13 Curses (and then life interrupted)!Once I actually started reading 13 Curses, it only took me a day to whip through.  It’s one of those “just need to see what happens here THEN I will cook dinner” type books.  I loved it!  Michelle Harrison (who is amazing!) did a great job of continuing the story with the second book.  It picks up right where book one ended.  I think the thing I like the most was the different “style” for book two.  I mean, book one was more of a “mystery” type book.  Book two is more of an “adventure/quest” type story.   Book two also more follows Red and my favorite character from book one - Warwick! (Yes, I still see him as dirty Joaquin. See 13 Treasures review for clarification. lol)Much like 13 Treasures, I absolutely LOVED this book.  I loved that it sucks you in, and even though you KNOW you have “real life” “parenty” type things you need to be doing…you still feel compelled to sit there and just check to see what’s on the next page.Character wise, all my favorites were back – and there were a few new ones to add to the mix!  Poor Red.  I wasn’t sure where her story would go, I mean she surprised the crap out of me at the end of book one.  I’m glad she was more the focus of book two and we got to get to know her better.  That child sure had a crap life, I tell ya.  I love how strong and independent she is (and I won’t even tell you that I cried over her.  Nope.  I won’t tell you that!)   I totally love Brunswick too.  Like want to just hug him.  In my opinion, this is one of the best children's series that I have read in a LONG time.  There is enough plot to keep fans of any genre interested.  There is enough character development, so that no matter what types of character you are drawn to – there is someone in these books you will connect with.  There is enough “story” to leave you dying for the next in the series.I can’t WAIT for book three The Thirteen Secrets .  I have googled my fingers off and can NOT find a USA release date.  I will hate to have to order it from overseas, because our covers are SO much better – but dang it… I WILL!!!I say “READ IT”.  I promise you will NOT be disappointed.  Great for kids and grownups, too! THANK YOU to LITTLE BROWN for sending me this amazing book to review!!!!   THANK YOU, Michelle, for adding me on twitter!  You are AMAZING!! For other posts by me on this series, please read: 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison  (the review) Am Reading: 13 Curses  (weekend update) In My Mailbox July 17 2011  (YouTube vlogs) In My Mailbox July 3 2011 (YouTube vlogs)

**Originally posted on www.bunnycates.com **I loved 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison! So much so, that I read it in one day even though it was nearly 400 pages long. If you take nothing else away from this review, please take away that this story is amazing. I loved it, and I can’t wait for Sis to venture out of Judy Moody and Junie B Jones so that she can love this one too. Because I know that she will, love it I mean. It’s just THAT good.I’ve been staring at this page for days. Trying to decide what to say and not say in this review. I want to tell you enough that you WILL pick up this book. Without telling you so much that there is no need to. It’s a fine line reviewers walk, and I hate it. Spoilers. To tell or not to tell? As a reader, I hate reading them, so as a book blogger – I hate including them. So here I sit, staring at a blank page, wondering what I can type here to make you pick up this series.Lets start with the world Michelle Harrison has created. I loved it. So descriptive, and real. I could smell the dusty musk and old cat inside Elvesden Manor. I could feel the damp sticky thickness of the air in Hangman Wood. I didn’t even have to close my eyes and try. It just felt that real. I loved, no – I absolutely loved, that the fairies in this story are not the sweet little Tinkerbell fairies. Brian Froud is one of my favorite illustrators, and his faeries are just amazing. Scary, and tricksie, and spiteful, and sarcastic, and… those are the faeries we find in this story. The world was amazing. I said on Goodreads that I felt like I was reading Spiderwick, but with girls. I loved Spiderwick! Everything was magical and felt real. For the characters, omgosh.Tanya, the main character, a little girl who nobody “gets” (because she could see faeries) and because of it keeps getting shuffled around to give her mum a break. I so connected with her, right from page one. Heck, I was HER. No, I don’t see faeries. But I was that kid that got shuffled around. That was me. So from page one, I got Tanya, and I cared for her.Fabian, guh. He totally brought out the 13 year old girl in me. He got on my nerves, made me roll my eyes, and in the end made me cry. Stupid boys. =DI loved Warwick. A) Warwick is the actor of one of my favorite movie characters of all time! WILLOW anyone?! B) He totally reminded me of my Pepaw. Understated, grunting and growling instead of speaking sentences… LoL. I really liked him, even though I wasn’t supposed to. In my head, I totally saw Joaquin Phoenix as Warwick. I know, I know, just hear me out. Not hot sexy, I’d leave my husband for, SIGNS and THE VILLAGE, Joaquin. No, no. Scary, dirty, sad, but underneath we know there is something amazing, I’M A RAPPER, Joaquin. *sigh* yes, even through his nasty phase, I probably would have still left my husband for him. shhhhh… thats just between us though. haha.Red, omgosh, Red. I loved her. LOVED her. She made me think of the little girl they saved in Aliens. All crazy looking and in the end the smartest one in the bunch and steps up to the plate to save the day. She was just awesome.And as for the story…Faeries are tricksie! Bottom line, and I don’t want to say much more than that. Well, that and I loved this book.

This book for me, was just OK. I think it would be a great read for anyone looking for an "action" story, but for me it fell a little flat on the character connection. From paragraph one, the story is already in full action mode and there is no opportunity to get to know the characters at all. It took a good hundred pages or so to feel anything for the main character, Fox. For me, that hurt the story a little. Don't get me wrong. The negatives in this book are far fewer than the positives.For me the negs:I was not a fan of the writing style/sentence structure. It was very blunt and finite. I almost felt like words were cut out of sentences to make the book fit into x-amount of a word count. The story could have easily had another 30 or 40 pages, just by allowing a little extra descriptive narrative. For the positives:This author obviously put tons of research in not only military procedure but the science of chemical warfare. This adds a layer of believability to this story that many others miss the mark on. That gives us a very "If that really happens..." kind of story. Believability goes a long way in a story like this, and I think any fan of spy/chemical warfare type stories will eat this one right up. I could definitely see this book being bought by Hollywood and made into a big Micheal Bay film.

**originally posted on BUNNYCATES.com July 27, 2011**This book isn’t your average vamp story. There is no girl here “loving” the broody, sexy, dangerous vampire. In Blood Reaction A Vampire Novel, the vampire basically invades a woman’s home and tells her pretty much she will do what he wants or he will eat her kid. Like any mom, she does what she is told to save her kid…that is until she figures a way out of the situation.I loved the medical aspects of this book. The author is a doctor, so her training in the field came through and the story was amazing for it!The characters were well “fleshed” out, excuse the pun. haha. I really liked Annalice, and I loved hating Asa. I loved LOVED the ending, as in was sitting on the edge of my chair with my mouth hanging open as I turned the final few pages!This book was a super fast read for me, I read it in one day, practically one sitting – if I hadn’t had to stop to cook dinner…I say this is a GREAT READ, and would be great for anyone who enjoys adult vampire tales. Warning to parents: this is an adult novel. It contains: blood, gore, and violent sexual content