Never Look at the Empty Seats by Charlie Daniels

This is the 2nd review for today.  Again, my apologies.

The world lost a music legend this month with the passing of Charlie Daniels.  I have been a huge fan all my life, and have seen him and The Charlie Daniels Band perform live four times.  I recited "The Legend of Wooley Swamp" for a Halloween-themed oral lesson in one of my undergrad classes.

I've always found him to be so incredibly down to Earth, often meeting with fans before or after performances with little to no security.  He's been married only once, as in "til death do us part" and loves his horses.  While I may not agree with his religious views, he is strong in his faith and offers praise and thanks for all.

The meteoric rise of CDB after "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" often leaves out the story of a young man just trying to make it.  Taking on little gigs playing whatever the audience at that particular establishment wanted, is one reason the Band's music is so varying among genres.  Country, bluegrass, rock, gospel, rockabilly, folk, soul, and even pop blend in their music.  Through it all, Charlie reminds his readers he doesn't actually know how to play the fiddle or guitar.  He learned by doing, no lessons or formal training. 

For any of my teachers reading or listening to this review, make sure you read the acknowledgments.  For any of my kids, don't ever forget to thank the teachers who influenced you.  

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

All Eyes on Her by L.E. Flynn

This will be the first review of another two-fer.  I'm being terrible at getting these posted.  My allergies are a mess right now too.  

Also, this reviews refers to the Advanced Reading Copy edition, but the book is now on sale. 

I LOVED this book.  You know I am not a fan usually of the alternating viewpoints, but for this whodunnit, it's necessary for the reader (in essence part of the judge and jury via the media) to get all the information.

Imagine One of Us Is Lying, Cruel Intentions, and "The Lady or the Tiger?" mixed together.  

Tabby Cousins, 17, and her boyfriend Mark Forrester, 20, go hiking in the woods.  Mark doesn't make it out.  Tabby will, arriving home hours later after becoming disoriented.  She says Mark fell off an overlook.  His body will be found in the river below.  

So, did he fall?  Did he jump?  Or was he pushed?

The story is told through various viewpoints of Mark and Tabby's friends, family, and classmates.  The media has convicted Tabby, who is known to have a temper and was jealous of star-athlete Mark's new "friends" away at college.  You, the reader (again, as someone consuming media reports and social media posts) have to make the decision.

This is actually a fascinating lesson on digital media literacy.

I do not want to spoil too much, but I will say the ending left me pretty shook.  I could not put this down until I finished it.

Hopefully we can get the published book in an order soon!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Star Wars Galaxy's Edge Black Spire Outpost Cookbook

Yes, today is a two-fer review day.

With our culinary program being so awesome, and my own love of cooking, I'm always looking for cookbooks I think will make a good addition to our collection (see my review of Crook to Cook!).  I'm also a huge Star Wars fan (if you've followed this blog for any length of time, you know that already).  So, of course I bought this!  

When we went to Disney World, Galaxy's Edge was still under construction.  I had huge hopes to see Disney Land's version this summer.  Covid of course had other plans.  

I kinda thought this would be like the Harry Potter cookbook, with items from the book made with every day ingredients or like the "copy-cat" recipes you see all over Facebook of Disney's signature dining places (try the gray stuff at Be Our Guest in Orlando!).  However, this is written in an in-universe style, as if by the extended cannon Strono "Cookie" Tuggs, a chef.  The recipes are pretty simplistic and renamed to match a Star Wars theme.  I'm not sure if any of it is actually on a menu in Disney somewhere, though.  I'll report back if I ever there...

Definitely a novelty, maybe for one of those theme weeks Mr. Kent does, but not exactly the standard in cookbooks for the home chef.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.   

Tigers, not Daughters by Samantha Mabry

I was in a session with Samantha Mabry at the School Library Journal's conference, which was moderated by my review editor.  I immediately ordered this book for WHHS. A ghost story with strong Latina leads?  Yes, please.

This book did not disappoint.  I read it in a day; I could not put it down.  The four Torres sisters--Ana, Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa are all incredibly different, but also inherently the same.  Being raised by a single father (their mother died in childbirth with Rosa) in poverty, surrounded by gangs, theft, drugs, and classism but also by family, faith, and resilience.  The girls hatch a plot to escape to an aunt's in the country, by their father finds out and drags them home.  Two months later, Ana kills herself by jumping out a window (it is possible she fell trying to escape again or was pushed--I don't want to spoil too much).  A year later, Jessica is dating Ana's ex, Iridian is folding in upon herself mentally, and Rosa has turned to Jesus to help animals in need as a distraction. Ana's ghost is not happy.

As this IS a ghost story, with a very angry ghost trying to deliver a message and, perhaps revenge, I will stop the plot review there.  But, I promise, you will not be able to stop reading this!

Find this front and center come my Halloween display!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs W. 

Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner

Earlier this summer the Connecticut Association of School Librarians hosted NErDcampCT. I think most of you know I serve on the Board for CASL, and I am so proud of my colleagues in transitioning the event to a virtual format.  Because it was virtual, many authors who otherwise could not attend were able to, including Jeff Zentner.  I did not review his first novel The Serpent King here (I think it's OK now to say I read it for Nutmeg 2018), but I did review Goodbye Days. With both being very serious and somewhat dark, I was a little surprised he was in a forum on humor in YA.  What?

Well, Rayne and Delilah is dark, but a dark comedy.  For those of you old enough, Josie and Delia really reminded me of Carly and Sam from iCarly. The high school seniors host a weekly show on public television.  They host viewing of low-budget, old horror movies as Rayne and Delilah.  Dressed up as witches or vampires or both, it was like Celebrity Watch Party, but of bad horror movies (I kept thinking Blair Witch).

The underlying storylines are juxtaposed.  Josie is college-bound with a possible television internship with Food Network.  Her parents are overbearing in the academic world.  Delia has a fortune-teller mother.  Her father took off when she was a child.  The idea behind the show is to hope he sees it and recognizes her and their old movies.  

I did not find this to be the roll-on-the-floor funny it was advertised as, both on Amazon and in the forum, but I did laugh a few times and smile a lot. I found both girls a bit overdone, but perhaps that was the point?  A parody of teenage girl stereotypes?  Perhaps.  I also felt the door was left open for a sequel.

Hopefully we will see each other in the fall, and you can check this out then.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni

Hi everyone!

I took a brief hiatus to spend a two week "staycation" with my hubs and son.  We were supposed to have gone to DisneyLand, Universal Hollywood, and San Francisco.  Obvi, Covid has other plans.  Instead we stayed within CT doing mostly outdoor activities like hiking, horseback riding, Mystic, and swimming.  I am hopeful our back to back weekends in New Hampshire later this summer will go on as planned.

This detective novel is my book club's July selection.  I am new to this group--a definite hodgepodge of teachers, other school staff, and Westie community members.  I am looking forward to meeting, whether virtual or in person, to discuss books!

I am not sure who chose this one, but I loved it.  I later learned from Carrigan's Mrs. Tirollo it is the first in a series, and if I didn't have a 20-something deep pile to read already this summer, I'd be adding it to my Amazon cart! (An aside, speaking of Amazon's cart, a copy of Leigh-Ann Hauer's newly illustrated children's book will be headng to each of our elementary schools!)

Tracy is a detective in the Seattle area.  She had been a chemistry teacher at the high school, in a very tiny town hours away, that she graduated from prior.  She and her younger sister were competitive shooters.  In 1993, her younger sister Sarah drove their truck home alone, through a storm.  Sarah knew Tracy' boyfriend was to propose, and sent them off to dinner.  Sarah would never make it home.  The truck would be found out of gas, although Tracy had filled it the day before, along with Sarah's personal belongings.  Seven weeks later, a recently released convicted rapist is convicted of Sarah's murder, although her body was never found.  

Tracy believes an innocent man has been framed, and leaves teaching to become a police officer as a means to continue searching the evidence for her sister's killer.  

20 years later, Sarah's body is found, in an area Tracy's family and army of volunteers had already searched.  Old wounds are opened, and a tiny town is going to have to face the possibility a man was wrongfully convicted, and that Sarah's killer still walks free.

I don't want to spoil too much, as this IS a mystery.  I really had my "whodunnit" guess wrong here though.

I will be adding this to our collection when/if we return to school!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.