New Regular Reviews in Books

Pros: read the review
Cons: read the review

Pros: oddball subject, upbeat tone
Cons: not as funny as most Snicket books

Pros: Portrays ballplayers back when they actually had fun, dammit!
Cons: Several members of this team were during the season...

Pros: “Too Far," “Hot Lights,” “Ricky’s Romance,” "White Rose"
Cons: too unsettling for many readers, too slender a collection for me

Pros: cute pictures and flaps
Cons: not much of a story, not a board book

Pros: Great message; familiar and well-loved characters accurately depicted; challenging vocabulary words
Cons: Does Eeyore really talk that much?; vocabulary words too challenging?; lots of words per page

Pros: Well written, full of details, and memorable characters.
Cons: Not a one! I was having too much fun with this one.

Pros: The story of Cheri becomes that of the Lost Generation
Cons: Only 109 pages

Pros: Some excellent information, wonderful photography and diagrams
Cons: Not much

Pros: Action galore, pretty gory, very cool lead, good fight at the end, some character development
Cons: Comedy seems very out of place, artwork not completely to my liking,

Pros: Major destructive addictions are convincingly described. You can help your addicted friend. Love trumps fear.
Cons: One intervention method is applied to all addictions. Repetitively. Perhaps too optimistically assesses results.

Pros: Beautifully written. Illustrations are vivid and help to carry the story.
Cons: Slightly dated. My students didn't know what a phonograph was.

Pros: Hague's illustrations, well-constructed fantasy of Claus, the immortals, Claus
Cons: The older style of English might intimidate young readers at first, no Mrs. Claus

Pros: Great main character and genuine New Orleans setting
Cons: Nothing major

Pros: Good mystery.  Interesting characters. Psychological thriller.
Cons: Drags at times with excess dialogue.

Pros: The original trilogy packaged up into one ornate volume
Cons: None - overall, it's a five-star package

Pros: Great humor, exciting, action packed adventure, innocent, enjoyable for both adults and children.
Cons: Some stereotyping of Corsicans (friendly though).

Pros: Entertaining thriller for most part.
Cons: Issues with dialogue and characters.  Could have more suspense.

Pros: cute way to tell the Thanksgiving story
Cons: text of the story rhymes... and then doesn't...and then does again

Pros: Author's opening note; cat lovers will appreciate it; challenging to young readers
Cons: Author's opening note; would have preferred oil paintings; a little long for young listeners

Pros: Professional photography, exclusively. Indexed by make. Miss Lithuania demonstrates the "Plymouth Power Top".
Cons: Chapter arrangement is not chronological. Mayor Daley's foreword is of little interest.

Pros: Entertaining dialogue and appealing lead characters.
Cons: Weak ending.

Pros: Everything.
Cons: Nothing.

Pros: Refreshing board book, both brief and meaningful, for the littlest readers.
Cons: Can't find any!  Ready to find more books by this author.

Pros: Wonderful new stories, one new character, charming illustrations...
Cons: None.

Pros: Srong intense action pulls the reader forward
Cons: Occult may be too much for some

Pros: Kringle, the Runes, Blending into pagan and Christianity, the Goblins
Cons: It only drags a little near the middle, right before the reindeer appear

Pros: Darren gets awesome and more plot advancement!
Cons: The end part felt a little contrived.

Pros: Well-crafted; Interestingly exquisite cover art
Cons: Slightly predictable in the beginning; lower reading level than appropriate for age group

Pros: It's not as mind-numbing as the show that it's (sort of) based on
Cons: It's predictable and silly

Pros: funny, great characters, fast paced
Cons: none

Pros: Protagonist is a great role model; Lots of good humor
Cons: Kids might not get all the (clean) grown-up humor

Pros: offers kids a good way to think about Thanksgiving and what they are thankful for
Cons: some adults may find it preachy

Pros: Pathology, dreams, violence, thrills
Cons: Jesus

Pros: cute, slightly humorous story with a Thanksgiving theme; fun illustrations
Cons: story is slightly disjointed

Pros: an interesting premise
Cons: completely buried by political pronouncements

Pros: Moments of suspense and intrigue
Cons: Cliched dialogue, (mostly) flat characters, bizarre (in the bad way) twists

Pros: Fun and easy, with nice characters that aren't difficult to like.
Cons: Could have been a part of the  last book, it didn't necessarily need a sequel.

Pros: Funny look at Jesus in a more human light
Cons: Probably mistaken for scripture at some point by fanatically religious

Pros: Terrific humor; fun illustrations; sweet lesson about the blessing of togetherness
Cons: None really

Pros: Full of action.
Cons: To short.

Pros: Comprehensive and mostly interesting look at the Quiverfull movement.
Cons: Kind of biased. Parts are a bit slow.

Pros: Everything is professional, nearly perfect 
Cons: Why aren't there more books like this?

Pros: SpongeBob's sweetness, underwater versions of Christmas traditions
Cons: typical SpongeBob hyperness, Christmas lights underwater

Pros: Creative premise; excellent knowledge of Austen's books and biography; detailed rendering of Austen tour
Cons: Thin characterizations and some believability issues with plot (see review)

Pros: Very well-written; many characters but easy to follow; packs an emotional punch.
Cons: No happy ending; sorry.

Pros: Fun and imaginative
Cons: Not all characters given enough time to develop

Pros: funny, light romance
Cons: nothing

Pros: Colorful illustrations, fun characters, sweeet and funny story.
Cons: None.

Pros: Good use of history and science; classic Magic School Bus characters, connections between scientists.
Cons: Can be difficult to read aloud...

Pros: Nicely wraps up the V Saga.
Cons: Or does it?

Pros: This is a very, very, well written book.
Cons: Unfortunately, there are many messed up individuals like Billy Sullivan in this society.

Pros: Short stories are fun, quick, and easy to read
Cons: Don't expect parenting tips

Pros: The 3D viewer is neat
Cons: Pieces to lose, story is rushed, not a true board book

Pros: Gripping and suspenseful to the end. Major players are the complete focus. Very good ending.
Cons: Too dialogue heavy for some.

Pros: Ambitious and interesting premise, different and interesting characters, pace
Cons: Over-reaches in several areas, a few factual issues, hard to identify target audience

Pros: Houle is very engaging and a dedicated observer; loved it all
Cons: Houle doesn't write another book about the peregrines

Pros: fun, pretty sturdy pop-ups. And funny too!
Cons: none really

Pros: funny, emphasis on forgiveness
Cons: rampant destruction

Pros: lovely illustrations, tender tone
Cons: melancholy

Pros: Safe, and enjoyable, no smut.
Cons: Kind of religious, but not overly so

Pros: A good read with depth. Great for any age - young or old.
Cons: It is short.

Pros: Lestat is the necessary larger-than-life character needed for a story such as this
Cons: The rock star thing is a bit silly, but needed to propel the series along

Pros: Nice photos, cute story with it, step by step instructions
Cons: sometimes instruction a little vague, one black and white photo that should have been color

Pros: kid-friendly "definitions", charming paintings
Cons: some may find human-anthropomorphic animal interaction odd

Pros: cute counting book, memory game
Cons: rather squiggly illustrations

Pros: fun flaps, inclusion of Honey Bear
Cons: not much plot, easy to tear

Pros: Huge scope, good use of DC Comics history, great characterization, nice artwork.
Cons: None, save the hellishness of war itself.

Pros: Seventh-Day Adventism and the enthusiastic American Protestant milieu that birthed it. God prescribes good health.
Cons: More appealing to scholars than to general publics. Had disturbing impact among Adventists in 1976.

Pros: Well written book that manages supernatural suspence with a psychological premise.
Cons: The Audio edition was over acted.

Pros: A lot of interesting statistics, good organization.
Cons: Science cuts for 2010, reflects the news, magazine feel, insufficient index, important data missing.

Pros: Clearly worded; Practical; Good organization
Cons: None come to mind

Pros: None
Cons: 15 words isn't enough to explain them all

Pros: Hilarious, thoughtful, thought-provoking, and intelligent
Cons: Goes to extremes at times, focuses on rules while putting off the concept of grace

Pros: short, simple, about one of Santa's reindeer (though never named I'd guess it is Dasher)
Cons: none really

Pros: some decent technology
Cons: way! too much internal dithering

Pros: Picture Intensive
Rich in detail
Cons: Omission of Mr. Potato Head, the great quick change artist

Pros: Unexpected ending
Cons: I hated all the characters

Pros: Some conversations, Descriptions about family competition
Cons: Lacks emotional stories and humor, Tedious, Overly analytical

Pros: Sweet, touching, funny
Cons: Campy, not quite as good as it could have been

Pros: Gorgeous book
Cons: None

Pros: Typical Spenser
Cons: Typical Spenser

Pros: A real page turner and an excellent read
Cons: A bit drawn out in places .

Pros: Humor, Management Strategies
Cons: Ratbert strips were boring.

Pros: Tight writing, plenty of details and information.
Cons: I didn't find this one as interesting as her earlier collections.

Pros: A Pratchett classic!
Cons: May not appeal to non Pratchett fans.

Pros: Research, Technical Details, Well Paced, Great Writing Skills, Human Factors
Cons: It ended, I want to read more

Pros: Great photography.  Intriguing details. 
Cons: None.

Pros: Appealing drawing, characters well delineated.
Cons: The relationship struck me as abusive.

Pros: Office Humor, Favorite characters
Cons: Some of the puns were a bit repetitive.

Pros: Beautiful, large photos and illustrations; key information effectively defined and summarized.
Cons: Rather light on text overall.

Pros: Short chapters, nice pictures, and easy words, make it a great read for kids.
Cons: Not very action packed, wouldn't recomend it to adults who are searching for that.

Pros: Great relationship story with interesting religious undertones
Cons: Poorly constructed mystery with unsatisfying ending

Pros: Colorful, cute, rhymes, short, Wonder Pets, catchy
Cons: Price, too short perhaps, some pages could be brighter

Pros: Timeless story and compelling characters in a gorgeous setting
Cons: Probably unfilmable due to one scene of cockfighting; also see sixth paragraph

Pros: Amazing and breath taking color photos. The photographs are also incredibly interesting.
Cons: Not hard bound, not wide enough.

Pros: An incredibly interesting historical work that provides an intimate look at FDR
Cons: Too much about the blasted dog, leaves you wishing you knew more

Pros: A good history lesson and a book with a fair pace. 
Cons: Predictable murder mystery plot and dislikable characters.

Pros: Very good use of characters, good story build up
Cons: Some story elements can be slightly confusing, slow development that could bother some

Pros: Soem good history and interesting viewpoints/perspectives
Cons: A little far- fetched; Some of the proposals would have repercussions.

Pros: Awsome
Cons: The best

Pros: Nothing too unusual, good review of basic 'confusing' words. Middle-school/HS level.
Cons: Not the most entertaining read of the year. Murphy wanted pictures.

Pros: Bits of actual history, but the lackluster, passionless romance make this a snoozer.
Cons: Character abuse at the end of the novel ruined the book for me.

Pros: Exciting stuff and plot advancement!
Cons: Nothing, actually...

Pros: intersting mystery, a few moments where Nancy doubts herself, power of teamwork
Cons: Nancy's amazing abilities, weak premise to the mystery, some dated ideas

Pros: Contains the largest variety of patterns

Concise, brief

Historically accurate

Supplies helpful anecdotes, informative articles
Cons: Patterns are measured by scale (i.e., no grids)

Limited patterns from 1600-1700

For the intermediate/experienced sewer

 

Pros: great message presented in a way children will understand
Cons: I am not a huge fan of the artwork

Pros: A Key that works, Simple terminology, Line drawings and diagrams to illustrate features, Good coverage
Cons: Lacks range maps, weak on palms and cacti

Pros: Fun banter and characters
Easy to read and understand
Cons: Not completly factual

Pros: beautifully written, incredibly tender, gorgeous illustrations
Cons: geared more toward older readers

Pros: adorable photos
Cons: pretty much plotless

Pros: Look at Wonder Woman's long comic book history, interesting changes over time, sexism and liberation...
Cons: Short-format stories don't do her justice.

Pros: unusual setting, familiar characters
Cons: only Ariel, Flounder and Scuttle make much of an appearance

Pros: Informative and fun
Cons: No potatoes

Pros: A poetic description of mental illness.A nightmarish ending of the novel. 
Cons: None.

Pros: Great characters, prose, intricate plot
Cons: A few minor things

Pros: Respectful attitude; playful tone much like Milne's; charming illustrations; more time with much-loved characters
Cons: Tries a bit too hard? Poetic verse not up to Milne's standard

Pros: Familiar characters to series readers. Some recipes sound good.
Cons: S-L-O-W moving story, uninteresting dialogue, pathetic love triangle.

Pros: Notes, Nagi's Face, Kitchen Boy, Boxer Puppies; gallows humor
Cons: depressing picture of life chances in Cairo; some very sketchy or opaque stories

Pros: Cute story, counting opportunity, tickle opportunity
Cons: Younger kids might not get the humor, easily explainable though.

Pros: insight into ethnic and sociopolitical reform mobilizations that are still resounding
Cons: a lot of characters, context unfamiliar to many

Pros: sweet message, Oscar and Telly
Cons: several major characters don't appear

Pros: Gorgeous examples of art
Cons: None

Pros: simply written, yet able to elicit emotion; a great, non-paranormal book
Cons: tiny editing issues; may be looked over for not being part of current fiction fad

Pros: Packed with information, secret drawer, great artwork.
Cons: NONE!!!

Pros: Junie B., Reality of six year olds, Holiday life lesson, Humor    
Cons: Intentional grammar errors less irritating than in other Junie B. books    

Pros: Some 30-years later it's still as good as it was upon first read
Cons: Louis can get a bit whiny at times

Pros: Confusing mystery with great characters and humor
Cons: Tad slow in the beginning, little true bear influence

Pros: beautiful illustrations, rhyming narration, tender story
Cons: vocabulary might be too advanced for especially young readers

Pros: Many pictures that even I haven’t seen before, nice quality paper
Cons: Written history here is nothing new. Photo Captions are often misleading and incorrect

Pros: Strong, complex story, vivid characterizations, gorgeous graphic work.
Cons: Graphics are pretty dense, and page size detracts from legibility.

Pros: fun shaped pages, happy Halloween theme
Cons: very short for the intend audience

Pros: This book caught my interest and since I do read, I purchased it. 
Cons: None.

Pros: organized info, good explanations, easy to look up topics with tabs, on-line companion site.
Cons: it is an older edition

Pros: True-crime story author Gregg Olsen has done a great job writing this book.
Cons: None.

Pros: mostly fascinating and well-researched if possible
Cons: a few things discussed in review

Pros: Great plot, still very gripping, unpredictable, a new character
Cons: Forced character development, pacing issues

Pros: The story as a whole, the historical and personal parallels
Cons: Nothing significant enough to list

Pros: Sharp, wickedly funny send-up of the crappy writers who dominate the best-seller lists.
Cons: Not to be taken seriously in any way.

Pros: Well written, fascinating description of the dogged determination of two jouralists to print the truth
Cons: Somewhat repetitive

Pros: Many stories are sad, but need to be heard.
Cons: Can't help feeling there's a bit of an agenda, particularly in the essays.

Pros: Interesting, heartful if sad story
Cons: Child abuse not easy to read about.

Pros: fun story with some twists, nice illustrations compliment the text
Cons: none really

Pros: 1) Interesting Patterns
2) Unique content
Cons: 3) Could use a few more variety in the patterns selection.

Pros: Perfect for the layperson who is working on meeting trees across the country
Cons: Lacks the depth in detail found in regional or state tree field guides

Pros: Fun Halloween activity book, alternative to candy, answer key in back of book.
Cons: Puzzles might be a little too easy for some kids.

Pros: fun family, good overview of some basic elements of Chanukah
Cons: the pictures do most of the talking

Pros: A method literal-minded children can follow to make sense of commonly used metaphors. Lavishly illustrated.
Cons: Too long. Pedantic. Attempts too much: one thing for children, something different for adult readers.

Pros: Short, simple to follow plot.
Cons: Predictable, I felt talked down to at times by the author.

Pros: Mostly entertaining book with returning characters.  Bella not as annoying.
Cons: Few things will upset some readers.

Pros: highly readable
Cons: what is one supposed to take away from reading the book?

Pros: Plot, ongoing character development, storylines, etc.
Cons: None for me at all.

Pros: narrator's lyricism and striking images (not least the book's cover)
Cons: sometimes hard to follow (disjointed): Friedman writes better sentences than books

Pros: The wonderful poems; lovely illustrations and well-written introduction
Cons: A timeline of his life and a full bibliography would be great additions

Pros: managing to evoke a sad childhood without making adult allowances
Cons: many mentions of unfamilar foodstuffs that sound pretty unpalatable to me

Pros: Good advice on how to preserve your wealth, interesting narrative of World War II.
Cons: I did not buy his thesis.

Pros: Fascinating character and voice, creative and touching
Cons: Plot becomes nonexistent in places

Pros: good characters, interesting story
Cons: light on facts, poor sentence structure

Pros: Consistently funny
Cons: A bit expensive, Not a complete anthology of the magazine.

Pros: Rich, evocative, grisly detail about the realities of living with goats.
Cons: Sometimes overblown and pretentious with goat rapture.

Pros: Interesing story with a great plot that will keep you guessing until the end.
Cons: A bit long and drawn out at times, could have been a few chapters shorter.

Pros: Opus, outstanding illustrations, touching story
Cons: fans of the strip may be disappointed that Opus is the only familiar character

Pros: change of pace from most urban fantasy offerings
Cons: bad writing, poor editing, unlikable characters

Pros: Lots of recipes, most quick and easy, nice picture sections, good variety
Cons: No nutritional information, paper cover makes it hard to keep opened with out damaging cover.

Pros: great rhyme, wonderful illustrations, good message
Cons: a wee bit of exaggeration...

Pros: Cute story with lessons about healthy food.
Cons: I suppose you could get a paper cut when reading...

Pros: Everyone should know about these facts.
Cons: Don't read this if you are not interested in what can happen to you.

Pros: The ending is phenomenal and interesting.
Cons: The start of this book is slow and boring.

Pros: Classic superheroics, classic character, colorful hero and villains...
Cons: Somewhat stiff compared to later comic books.