Literary Quote of the Month

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies," said Jojen. "The man who never reads lives only one." - George R.R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Sheets by Brenna Thummler... A Review

It was a dark and stormy night... no, wait, this may be a story about things that go bump in the night, but it wasn't really dark and stormy, Brenna Thummler's graphic novel, Sheets, is about true grit and friendship...

Marjorie is a 14 yr. old teenager, left with the responsibility of running the family laundry business and caring for her little brother after her mother dies and her father essentially is depressed and keeps to himself. Pretty tough life for a young girl who is dealing with all the pressures of growing up. But Marjorie trudges on, whether dealing with mean girls at school, or obnoxious customers at the laundry, which includes Mr. Saubertuck, who is trying to steal the building out from under Marjorie's family by doing all he can to make them lose customers, until one day she meets Wendell... Wendell is a ghost, but not just any ghost, but the ghost of a little boy trying to deal with fitting in, in a world he doesn't really understand yet (he just became a ghost). Wendell happens to travel back to the land of the living and accidentally reaks havoc in the laundry at night. And so the story begins...

One of the things I look for in a graphic novel is the artwork, and Brenna Thummler's artwork is good.  The coloring of her characters and scenery is a beautiful faded array of colors that depict the gray days Marjorie is going through. The next thing I look for is a good story, which Sheets is. Ultimately it's a story of friendship and perseverence in the face of adversity. Although this story did not hook me, the target audience, 9 - 12 year olds, should enjoy it. For myself, I found the story depressing and Marjorie such a sad character. Even the ending didn't give me a lot of pleasure, but as I said I am not the target audience, and this is just one of those graphic novels that IMHO is not for "the adults" too.

I give Sheets, 3 cups of laundry detergent for a good story and good artwork...

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Chick with Books Book Bingo 2019!


A new year and a new bingo card! Every year for the past 4 years, I've created a Bingo Card for my Book Club and here it is for YOU to enjoy too! Ever play Book Bingo? It's just like regular bingo, but instead of numbers and letters on the card, we have books! When you read a book that fits one of the catagories, you can "X" it out. By the end of the year, see if you can "X" out the whole card or how many you can "X" out! Prior years we had prizes for how many categories we had read, but even without prizes it's fun to try and match a category with a book you've read! My goal is to complete the card! Want to play along?! I hope you do... You should be able to print out this card from your computer, but if you can't email me and I'll send one along to you...

P.S. One category you'll need to fill in PRIOR to starting the  bingo card is, "A Book with a ? Cover". Pick out a color prior to starting your year of reading and have fun trying to read a book cover that is that color. This year out book club chose Purple!

Have fun and Good Luck!


Tuesday, January 1, 2019

First Book of the Year... 2019! Happy New Year!

First Book of the Year... 2019!

I've been so eager to share my choice for First Book of the Year 2019! And here it is... 

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Great artwork, a really good story, well written and one that will hold your attention! It's a bit out of the box, it's about a cross-dressing prince who hires a young and upcoming dressmaker to make... well dresses for him... in secret. Written for teenagers, ultimately it's a book about acceptance of oneself and of others...

What are you reading in 2019?!


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