Blog Archives - MADDERLY REVIEW

I'm Just a Little Someone by Sharon S. Peters (author) and Amanda Alter (illustrator)

5/31/2017

Genre: Children's Book

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Sharen Peters captured my attention with the theme of loneliness.  We all experience that feeling at times, and it is important to believe that loneliness is temporary and will soon be a distant memory.  I'm Just a Little Someone is a beautifully illustrated story whose pictures and theme will bring a smile to the face of any toddler. When a lonely little girl doll notices a lonely little boy doll, she invites him over.

The dolls reside in a toy store that is teeming with toys, yet they were lonely until they found each other.  This book is perfect to read to young children who might be experiencing emotions that they don't understand.  The author began writing at an early age to combat her own unhappy moments, and she does a good job bringing her characters to life.

The book ends with a list of questions that the relative or friend who is reading the book can ask the child. These questions help the child become involved in the story.  The two dolls finding each other, and even finding a lonely toy dog to join them, makes for a wonderful introduction to the world that children inhabit.  That theme, along with the colorful pictures, will cheer up any toddler's day.

- Beverly

Publisher - LifeLong Friends Publishers, LLC
Date of Publication - March 13, 2017

Thru My Looking Glass

5/25/2017

"If we destroy human rights and rule of law in the response to terrorism,  they have won."
   ---Joichi Ito

I can't get Manchester out of my thoughts today, as I think of all of the young children whose lives were forever changed.  Of course our hearts go out to those who died and the families that they left behind, and those who are injured and the families that are anxiously awaiting their recovery.  Today, however, I am thinking about the rest of the concert hall, filled with young people who will never feel entirely safe again.  Every time they go to the movies, walk through a mall or do any of the things that teenagers love to do, a part of them will be watching everyone who walks by and judging the danger that might be lurking.

Even as adults, they will cringe at the thought of sending their own children to concerts or amusement parks.  No amount of counseling will combat those terrifying moments of watching the laughter turn to horror in front of their eyes.  This life altering fear is exactly what these extremists want.  The death count is secondary to the terror that they instill on those of us around the world.

When we try to point the finger at any one religion or nationality, we are taking our eyes away from the bigger picture.  Muslims did not do this, any more than "right to lifers" killed Dr. George Tiller, the medical director of Women's Health Care Services who was fatally shot because he performed abortions.  Extremists committed these heinous acts, and there are extremists in every religion, in every country, and working for every cause.  Their hatred blinds them to any truth, and they will gladly die for causes that take over their lives.

For the most part they have been brainwashed by leaders who are vengefully amoral, and recruit others to die so these leaders can gain power and money.  Whether they are Americans who recruit for domestic terror, or foreigners who gather followers to commit unforgivable acts, they all have one thing in common.  They do not represent the good people who are trying to make changes peacefully.  It is in these extremists' best interest to make us see each other as the enemy, and not just people with opposing ideas.  The more that they fill us with hatred and fear, the more we will do their work for them.

The first step in combating these extremists, is refusing to buy into their hatred of those who think differently.  Once we all recognize that we are being set up to be instrumental in our own destruction, we can work together to eliminate those few who might truly do us harm.  If we open our hearts and minds to things that might be different without being evil, we can build bridges as we tear down walls and make our world safe for our children once again.

I decided to read/review a children's book this week, and came upon The Barely Visible Bear written by Ted Pollock.  The story, which features a bear who acts as a guardian angel, and the young girl who is the only one who sees him...barely...is a heartwarming tale that introduces us to a close family that works together to solve their problems.

My second choice this week, Dead Certain by Adam Mitzner, is certain to take your mind off of world problems for a bit.  Written from several viewpoints, this is a story of a young author who disappears, and the sister who is determined to find her.

As always, complete reviews of these two books follow this blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

Click on the book cover to order a title mentioned in today's blog

The Barely Visible Bear by Ted Pollock

5/25/2017

Genre: Children's Book

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There is nothing quite as active as a child's imagination, so when ten year old Julia tells her family that she is communicating with a bear who visits with her, it is not surprising that they are skeptical.  In fact, Julia was somewhat skeptical herself when Mischa's head first "barely" appeared, but as Micha the bear explained himself, she began to believe. In fact, she asked if she could see more of him, and all six feet of him "barely" appeared.  He was there to watch over her, he explained, and had been for quite some time.

Since only Julia can actually see Mischa, things get a bit awkward when he appears.  She has to make up stories, and life gets complicated. The Barely Visible Bear is just the kind of story, complications and all, that young children can relate to, and Julia's relationship with Mischa is fun for us to follow. There is a little boating adventure to add spice to the story, and author Pollock ends it on a happily ever after note that will leave young readers smiling.

The author makes us want to be friends with Julia and her entire family as they try to understand what is going on with Mischa, the barely visible bear.  Although the book has a definite ending, it does leave room for a sequel where this furry lifesaver can explain more about his background as he continues to watch over Julia.

- Beverly

Publisher - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition
Date of Publication - March 26, 2017

Dead Certain by Adam Mitzner

5/24/2017

Genre: Thriller

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I have been a fan of Adam Mitzner since his first book, Conflict of Interest.  It was a well written legal thriller populated with characters that captured my interest.  His second book, another legal thriller, was equally as entertaining, and I thought that this would be his genre.  I was hoping he would pick one of his protagonists and begin a series, but his third thriller,  The Girl From Home, was totally different.  The protagonist was a wealthy business man whose world crashes down around him.  It held my interest from page one.

His fourth book, Dead Certain, is completely different than the others and might be my favorite.  While the protagonist, Ella, is a criminal attorney who works for her father's firm, that is just a small part of the story.  She has a "secret life" as a singer and allows her inhibitions to fade away during her nights singing at a bar.  Her sister, Charlotte, is a writer whose first novel is accepted for publication, and she gives Ella a copy of the first half to read.

When Charlotte goes missing, The novel takes on a greater importance.  It seems to be a blueprint of Charlottes life and the men in it.  Ella believes one of those men has done harm to her sister, but since no real names have been used, Ella has nowhere to look.  The police are helpful, especially the lead detective who obviously cares for Charlotte, but they seem stymied at every turn.

Interspersed in Mitzner's novel are chapters from Charlotte's murder mystery that unfortunately stops before we find out "who done it."  Both books kept my interest, and I had a difficult time putting the book down.  There were a few things that stretched credibility, but I chalked it up to literary license.  It seemed odd that several of the main characters had dated Ella at one point or another, but somehow it all worked.

I don't want to give anything away, so I will just say that Dead Certain definitely belongs on your list of "must reads" this summer.

- Beverly

Publisher - Thomas & Mercer
Date of Publication - June 1, 2017

Thru My Looking Glass

5/19/2017

"You are a victim of the rules you live by."
  ---Jenny Holzer, avant-garde artist

I am a rule follower.  I have always been a rule follower.  It is not so much that I am a goody-goody, but it is more that I will ALWAYS be the one who gets caught. I imagine it is the "deer in the headlights" look in my eyes that gives me away.  I spent my high school years really wanting to cut class, just to prove I could, but while my fearless friends went to the movies, I ended up in my Geometry class.

College did not bring out my wild side. University of Miami was chock full of temptations, yet I ended up in class each day.  I never broke curfew.  In fact, in the age of drugs, I never even tried pot.  Again, I would have been the one who got caught.  In fact, I was the one who got caught, and I wasn't doing anything.  The summer after graduating, I visited friends in Coconut Grove.  We met three guys at their pool and accepted an invitation to join them that evening.  We weren't there long when several joints made their way to the party.  My friends, knowing me well, whispered that I needed to keep quiet and fake it.  This was their turf, so I unhappily passed the joint without ever taking a puff.  That's right...I didn't inhale.

After several uncomfortable minutes, the guys pulled out badges.  These were the days of narcotics agents looking to bust college kids, and telling them that I hadn't inhaled wasn't going to cut it.  This story ended happily!  They ultimately let us go with a warning, and I learned a good lesson.  Live by the rules, and NEVER fake it.

I was always the teacher who made sure I signed out if I was leaving campus and always had her lesson plans in on time.  My students knew that I would always be fair, but they had to follow the rules.  It wasn't that I feared anarchy, it was just the only way I knew.  A fellow teacher gave me a page from her daily quote calendar, that featured Jenny Holzer's quote.  She was frustrated with me at the time and complained that they were all victims of my rules.

I now live in a community that is governed by an HOA, and I finally realize that sometimes rules become suffocating. While the board of directors of these HOA's almost always mean well, their desire to run a perfect community sometimes overshadows the bigger picture.  Too many rules become counter-productive, and even rule followers like me are tempted to break a few.  Yep, I might even run with scissors, eat dessert before dinner and park in that no parking zone.  I might get caught, but I plan on having fun before I do.

My first book this week, Little Victories: Perfect Rules for Imperfect Living by Jason Gay, is a heartwarming look at life from a sportswriter who believes that the little victories are as important as the big ones.  In fact, sometimes those little victories are the ones that carry us through our days.  This is a very funny look at life from a man who faces the tough times with a ready smile.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch is such a well written science fiction book that it actually had me lost in the world of quantum physics. Through no choice of his own, Professor Jason Dessen ends up trying to navigate the "multiverse" after he is kidnapped and finds himself in a world where the life choices he made were very different than those he remembers.  I could not put the book down and recommend it highly.

As always, complete reviews of these two books follow this blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

Click on the book cover to order a title mentioned in today's blog

Little Victories: Perfect Rules for Imperfect Living by Jason Gay

5/19/2017

Genre: Non-Fiction

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Jason Gay is a sports writer who decided to share his rules for winning at life in Little Victories: Perfect Rules for Imperfect Living. His essays are both humorous and poignant, and his rules are ones we all need to live by as we make our way in this confusing world. When his dad became ill with cancer, the family spent his father's last year forgetting the big picture and chasing the little victories. This stressful and heartbreaking year changed Gay's way of seeing things, and he is sharing his discoveries with us.

He is the proud father of two small children, and his rules for raising them made me smile. He definitely has rules but will definitely break them when convenient. He talks about family holiday rules (love the Thanksgiving essay) and shares dinner party rules with equal humor. There are a few essays about sports, but this is basically just a book about life. The essays are followed by notes, which make the style a bit different, but it is easy to read a wonderful "how to" for young parents.

I enjoyed his take on the world and am glad that I came across this well written book that found the good in all walks of life.

- Beverly

Publisher - Doubleday
Date of Publication - November 3, 2015

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

5/18/2017

Genre: Science Fiction

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I received a request to review Dark Matter from the marketing department of Broadway Books and decided to glance through the first few pages even though it was Science Fiction...not my usual genre.  I literally could not put it down.  The first half was completely captivating and had me lost in a world of  quantum physics.  The second half was a bit outlandish, even in the SciFi world, but The author's strong characterization and interesting bits of scientific theory kept me going until the very last page.

This is a story about choices we make and the consequences of those choices. It is a story that makes us wonder whether we would ever go back and choose the other path.  Quantum Physicist Jason Dessen had that choice made for him fifteen years after he decided to marry his pregnant girlfriend and become a college professor instead of becoming a celebrated genius in his field.

He is kidnapped and wakes up in a world he does not recognize.  His wife is not his wife, his son is not his son, he is no longer a professor, and he is seemingly a hero to those in his new environs.  It seems that his quantum many-worlds theory has become a reality in this new world in which he has awakened, and his efforts to return to the world he knows are being stymied at every turn.

Jason is brilliant and discovers how to navigate this "multiverse" and enter different realities while searching for the world he left.  I found the scientific part of this book fascinating even though it was difficult to comprehend at times, but the story was strong enough to carry the reader through any scientific road blocks. I believe this book, while definitely SciFi can cross over to capture many thriller fans who ordinarily pass over this genre.

- Beverly

Publisher - Broadway Books
Date of Publication - July 26, 2016

Thru My Looking Glass

5/12/2017

The world is locked in a struggle between love and fear. Choose love. Always.
  ---Surgeon General Vivek Murthy

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers!

It is Mother's Day weekend, and Sunday is a day that celebrates the very essence of love.  Mothers, by nature, sacrifice their wants (and often their needs) for their children.  From the minute that squirmy little child is placed in a mother's arms, a fierce protectiveness and overwhelming love fills her heart.  A bond is formed that nothing can destroy, and your mother is the one person who will stand by you when all others have turned their backs.

It is difficult to stand by someone, when he/she has done something that goes against your moral fiber, yet prison visiting areas are filled with mothers who continue to believe that there is more good than bad in the child whom they raised.  It is that love that is a lifeline for those who have gone astray.  It is that type of love that will overcome the fears that we all face each day.

Our world has become a scary place, and many days I just want to gather my family together and lock my doors against every possible enemy.  Unfortunately, there is no protection against all people who are determined to do us harm, anymore than there is total protection against disease determined to strike us.  We can blockade and vaccinate ourselves, but there are always those people and those bacteria that will find their way into our lives.  We cannot let our fears take over, because then our enemies will surely have won.

People who look different than us, or those who pray to a different (or no) God, are sometimes difficult to relate to, and our first inclination is to put up walls.  Technology has introduced us to many wonderful things that we might never have experienced before, but in opening those windows we have allowed fears to enter.  While a century ago we were only aware of the crimes and aggressions that occurred in our immediate surroundings, today television and computers bring everything into our homes.  It is only natural for us to become fearful, but we need to fight those feelings.

We are conditioned to fear the unknown, but  Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is right. We must choose love above fear.  We must open our arms to those who are different and learn their ways as we teach them ours.  We must raise our children to look beyond superficial difference and recognize the worth of everyone around them.  We must build bridges as we tear down walls.  We must do this not for the strangers we meet, but we must do this for ourselves.  Once we recognize the similarities in all around us, the fear that burdens us will melt away.  When love wins, we will all win.

I realize I was a bit "preachy" there, but Surgeon General Murthy's quote inspired me, and after all, Mother's Day should allow me some leeway.  Speaking of Mother's Day, we need to start teaching children how special their moms are from a very early age, so I reviewed two little books that toddlers might enjoy this weekend. Hero Mom by Melinda Hardin and What Not to Give Your Mom on Mother's Day by Martha Simpson are both simple little books that celebrate mothers.

If you want a different type of novel to give your mom for Mother's Day, Lincoln in the Bardo: A Novel by George Saunders should definitely do the trick.  It was weird and funny and sad, but it was definitely worth reading.

As always, complete reviews of these books follow this blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

Click on the book cover to order a title mentioned in today's blog

What Not to Give Your Mom on Mother's Day by Martha Simpson (author) and Jana Christy (illustrator)

5/12/2017

Genre: Children's Book

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This is a sweetly illustrated book narrated by a young boy who explains What Not to Give Your Mom on Mother's Day. For example, he says "do not give her a bucket of big, fat worms," but qualifies that on the next page by explaining, "unless she is a bird."

I loved how the message clearly explains that what is not good for one might be perfect for another. The book is perfect for toddlers who can laugh at absurdities while learning life lessons.

- Beverly

Publisher - Two Lions
Date of Publication - April 2, 2013

Hero Mom by Melinda Hardin (author) and Bryan Langdo (illustrator)

5/12/2017

Genre: Children's Book

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With Mother's Day several days away, I thought it fitting to mention two children's books that celebrate moms. Hero Mom is a short book that features military moms in action. It is difficult for small children to watch their parents go off to "serve their country." That is a nebulous term that often translates into "leaving their families." This book shows military moms in a heroic light as women of all ethnicities work in all fields to protect us every day. It gives children something to be proud of while their mothers are serving.

- Beverly

Publisher - Two Lions
Date of Publication - April 2, 2013