How to Share with a Bear by Eric Pinder

Thomas has built himself a pillow fort and is ready to kick back with his favorite books when lo and behold he finds a bear in there. Now this is not just any bear, this one is very special but Thomas didn't make the fort for two so he decides to lure the bear out so he can read. He tries all kinds of treats but the bear seems determined to share this special spot with his older brother. Will Thomas share his fort, will it be big enough or can they make a fort for two. Very sweet and includes directions on how exactly to build a fort for two.

Pom Pom Panda Gets the Grumps by Sophy Henn

Pom Pom Panda gets out of bed on the wrong side and it's downhill from there. Everything just seems to make him grouchy. From his toothbrush being too scratchy to his mom singing happy songs, Pom Pom is just not in the mood. And this is all before he gets to school where his friends want to play with him. When Pom Pom can't take anymore and yells Leave Me ALONE!, they do and Pom Pom realizes that even though everyone can have a grouchy day it's not okay to take it out on others. Can Pom Pom make up for his mistake? Good book about how sometimes we just don't feel like being happy but remembering to be considerate is helpful to all.

Hedgehugs by Steve Wilson

Horace and Hattie are the best of friends and happen to be hedgehogs. They love to do things together and share with each other. When they're not together they pass the time doing the things they like until they can have fun with each other again. But there is one thing that they can not share and that is a hug. Because of their quills they haven't been able too. This charming little story takes a look at the various methods they try in order to show each other how much they care but nothing works until the day they come across a laundry basket full of socks. This story is whimsical and has a delightful ending. Perfect for story time.

Ella and Penguin Stick Together by Megan Maynor

Ella and Penguin are both afraid of the dark but today they have something super special, glow in the dark stickers! But the closet is so dark it's scary. Maybe they can find somewhere that's not so dark to see the stickers glow. When that doesn't work though will they be able to be brave enough to enter the closet and close the door all the way? They can if they do it together. Great story for kids who are afraid of the dark, introduces them to glow in the dark stickers which could help to overcome their fear.

Red Hood's Revenge by Jim C. Hines

This is book 3 in the Princess series by Hines but it definitely can be read as a standalone. This book revolves around the true story behind Sleeping Beauty and a past she has felt watching her from the shadows. After facing Rumpelstiltskin and bringing countless children back to their families, Snow, Danielle and Talia are ready to relax. What they wind up facing is one of the most feared assassins they've ever known. Little Red Riding Hood is on the hunt for Danielle but why would Roudette have been hired to kill her? As they investigate further they come to realize that what is happening is all a distraction to lure Talia into the open.

Once upon a time a Princess was put under a sleeping spell and many Princes attempted to save her but only one succeeded. But he did not save her as told in the fairy tales. He slew her family, took over her lands, and used the deep sleep she was in against her. Only the birth of her children awoke her and she slew him for his crimes.  But one woman's justice was the beginning of a vendetta for another and now there are others who see this conflict as the perfect staging ground for a new world order. In a time of religious strive where the protectors of her people are misleading and being mislead Princess Talia Malak-el-Dahshat must decide whether to return to everything she lost and reclaim it or stay with the ones who helped her to rebuild her life all those years ago. Either way, this is not the Sleeping Beauty you grew up with and you'll be thankful for it.

Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons

Jack and Sadie are German Jews who have traveled to England to escape the persecution growing in Berlin of World War II. They set off to London with their daughter Elizabeth to start a new life far from home and family and arrive at the docks to be greeted by an official who hands them a pamphlet on how to assimilate into the English lifestyle and amidst the uncertainties that face them Jack sees this as the anchor in creating himself into the perfect English gentleman. He drives a Jaquar, wears Saville Row suits, and even refuses to speak German, reminding Sadie that they have to blend into their new home. Immigrants at this time are still considered possible spies or worse and can be taken into custody under suspicion at anytime.

But while Jack has created his own company and the family lives in comfort with other Jewish immigrants in London, Sadie is still dealing with having left her family back home. As the war continues, her family become victims of the Nazi regime and Sadie is left with the unbearable grief of their loss. As Jack seems to drift away further and further from their roots, Sadie finds herself drowning in the sorrow of her loss and the believe that Jack has forgotten their loved ones and therefore her.

When he sells their London home to move them to Dorset so he can build a golf course and finally feel he has truly become an Englishman, the rift between him and Sadie gapes even wider and their lives begin to diverge in ways they never could have anticipated. Sadie begins a perilous decline to which she can neither speak nor can Jack witness and only a tragedy may save them.

Although this is a story of loss and survival it is also a humorous and touching glimpse at the ways people deal with grief and hope; at the vagaries of the human condition which are what make each of us so unique in the way we deal with life's daily obstacles and the depths to which we can reach when faced with the loss of the most important things to us.

In the end it is a homage to the things we love, the people, the places, and ourselves. A definite recommend.

Exploring the Unknown

First off, hats off to my Lotus who set up this new technology as I am still dealing with ink and paper and had to spend about two hours self touring my newest toy and repeatedly whining " but I don't know how to " , over and over. And although I am still new at this and may wind up creating a monster that will need to be hunted and killed, I decided might as well make use of it and see what we get.

So yeah. There you have it, another outlet for the brain slosh that I normally keep locked up in the dark caverns of my brain. Nothing in particular today that needs to be voided just the normal things that zoom in and out of focus faster than I can actually process them. Like what you ask? Well, here's one. Why do I need to emerge into this century when I'm quite happy to sit in a car park for almost an hour watching rushes swaying in the breeze while my sister runs into the post office. After all someone has to observe all the movers and shakers, otherwise what are they moving and shaking for? By the by, it took me almost that full hour to realize she hadn't come back yet. Yep. I'm definitely sitting on the sidelines here.

Another thing that dive bombed me while driving; I do not feel my age. My bones and such certainly feel older, my brain has definitely hit triple digits, but my inner child has only matured about to a five year old. I am fairly certain that I still require an adult to attend me in case I bite others at the peak of frustration.  I actually may be trending to a three year old at those times so I may still require a time out every now and again. Yeah. Naps too. With cookies and a blanket.

.......... where were we? Ah yes! With age comes wisdom. I heard a song in the car that said there's only two kinds of people in the world, you and everybody else. I like that. Now you may think that sounds selfish, I say so what. Cause if you can make yourself happy with who you are then you can worry about trying to meet the others in the middle.  So pull up your favorite chair, grab a drink of your choice, and let's see what damage I can inflict on your psyche with my own interpretation of life's little ups and downs. And just to give y'all a breather I'll throw in some book reviews too cause that's what I do.