Review - Instructions - Neil Gaiman

I thought this was a strange, hypnotic tale. It's supposed to be a children's book, but the writing sounds more suited for older children or adults. Neil Gaiman pens great children's books, but this one almost begs to be expanded into one of his well known fantasy novels. It has great illustrations that pull you deeper into following along with the "instructions."

Review - Eat Your Peas For Mothers - Cheryl Karpen

I hate to be a downer on a book to honor our wonderful mothers (of which I of course have THE best!) but I believe this book could have included a bit more original content. It has pretty illustrations that convey beauty and love for all mothers, and it even inspires one to be appreciative of the hard work it is to be a mother, but I felt like the short sayings and general message in this book has been written before. Greeting cards, certain "soup" books, and this book all seem to say the same thing, and I would have liked to see a bit more originality in this particular book since the meaning behind the "Eat Your Peas" series was an original idea created by the author to remind someone that they are loved no matter how far away they may be.

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Review - Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale - Carmen Agra Deedy

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale by Carmen Agra Deedy


A superb folktale with equally appealing illustrations that adds to the overall coolness of this story. Not only is this tale great for children, but the moral told is definitely something adults can read about and take to heart too. The only thing I thought was sorta strange in this particular story was the suitors Martina the cockroach had - they weren't fellow cockroaches, but other animals, which is kinda weird in my opinion. But I suppose a fairytale can be outrageous and weird since it is a tale after all, as long as the important parts are conveyed to the reader (which this story did very well).

Review - The Illumination - Kevin Brockmeier

The Illumination by Kevin Brockmeier


I don't think I've ever been so engrossed in a book like this one, and enjoyed it so much (even recommended it) but then suddenly half way through the story something happened and I got the literary rug pulled out from under me. How can something go from an "awesome wow," to a fizzled bunch of yuck?

Since I happen to be a person who suffers from chronic pain, I found the main premise of this story to not only be intriguing but personally touching - It's about pain suddenly giving off light in everyone's bodies (the illumination). I filled a few days thinking about, and discussing this subject. I even enjoyed the subplot about a "traveling" love journal, tragically lost by the original writer. So having the story suddenly change from an endearing page-turner to a chore of a read, was rather jarring and confusing. I managed to continue reading the entire book to see if it would get better, but alas it never improved. All that was left was repetitive, people had pain and light came shooting out of their skin, yes, I got that point, but I need something more to happily continue on! There was no final explanation or even an ending thought to leave readers something more to think about, nothing. How sad, I think it could have been a great read, but the author couldn't keep up the plot and develop it into anything more substantial.

Taking A Break

I must apologize to my readers for suddenly disappearing several months ago. After getting a bit of a burn out from blogging on my two blogs, I decided I needed to take a bit of an extended break from blogging entirely. I am still an active member on goodreads.com, so please feel free to stop by and check out my current reads and reviews - I use the nickname "VegasGal."

I hope to be back again blogging after some much needed "bloggy posting" rest. Please accept my apologies for not being a good blogger, but keep an eye on this blog for my return. I look forward to returning and sharing new reviews of great books with everyone.

Alive & Well!

Hi to all my friends and blog readers!

I just wanted to let everyone know out in bloggy land that I'm still alive and well in the world, doing my usual reading and reviewing. I've been on a whirlwind trip to England for several weeks, and have just recently settled back in and returned my brain and body to American time. So hopefully I will be returning to my regular blog reviews and meme posts shortly, so please keep this blog on your radar, don't give up on me just yet, I'll be back to my normal silliness and information soon!

DelGal