PrincessReviews

Burly & Grum  Beyond the Forest by Kate Tenbeth This book is about Burlington Bear and Grum the Groblin's first meeting. The story then follows them as Grum tries to find a way to prove he's brave to his family by going to see the Humans. This is a story full of humor and a little excitement. It was many quirky twists and turns and good lessons. I read Burly and Grum's Halloween Adventure and Burly's Birthday Adventure first. I enjoyed them much more than this one. But it was good to know how they first met. Rating 3/5

The Golden Acorn by Catherine Cooper Jack Brenin is The One. Well, Camelin doesn't think so. But as the story progresses Jack just might prove him wrong. The Golden Acorn follows Jack Brenin as he prepares for the bravest thing he has ever done in his life. In order to save the Hamadryad and the forests, Jack must learn to fly so he can enter the window of time. I enjoyed this story. It was very simplistic with easy to understand problems and solutions. Some readers may find it too easy. I kept waiting for something to go horribly wrong because that is what current books and movies prepare us for. But I thought is was quaint that it did not get too "tragic" especially in regards to the target audience. I could easily see Judi Dench as Nora or Freddie Highmore as Jack (well when he was younger). The characters are distinct and have, well character. Camelin is consistent and endearing. I enjoyed the array of creatures and how they interacted with the main chara...

Over the years, my husband and I have acquired five pieces of art from Vines Visions Enterprises. I was gifted my first piece of art as a graduation present. It is a diamond-shaped wooden piece inset with a simple gold clock. The poem displayed on the art was composed by Mr. Vines. It perfectly reflected that time in my life as I looked forward to the future and many successes. I received my second piece of art a few years later. It is a stylish suspended clock, also diamond-shaped. Its simple and elegant design allows me to incorporate it into any room and any decor as my style and home has changed over the years. My husband and I were fortunate enough to visit Mr. Vines' home where we saw three pieces that we just had to have. We commissioned Mr. Vines to reproduce these conversational pieces for us. They are made of good quality wood and depict images and phrases that give the viewer a brain-teaser. When they arrived, they were of high quality and in excellent cond...

“I'm very polite by nature, even the voices in my head let each other finish their sentences.” – from Completely Flappable Don’t you just hate it when you have a thousand little thoughts rattling around your brain, good for nothing but keeping you up at night? Ideas, worries, mental reminders for the next day? My voices can get pretty insistent, and mostly this is a nuisance, but sometimes it’s okay, when there’s a story idea or two among the ramblings. And rarely, very rarely, I get what I think is a really good idea, but one that I don't know what to do with. For instance, a while ago it occurred to me that it’s probably not governments or big corporations that wield the world’s greatest financial power. I think it’s us. All the little people together. Then I started wondering what could happen if we all decided to set 1 month of our incomes aside towards fixing this place up a bit. How many of the world’s problems could we actually solve permanently? Half of them, maybe?...

Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou is the first book by Maya Angelou that I have ever read. I am not a big poetry reader so I have never really picked up her books. However, this is a partial memoir by Angelou that tells of her relationship with her mother and the things she learned. When I started reading, the voice quickly brought me into the work. It reads like fiction. I kept thinking, fact is stranger than fiction. The things that happened to the author seem like something straight out of a fictional family saga. I learned some about the author that I didn't know. I was inspired by her mother's strength and flaws. We all make mistakes, but we do not have to let them get us down. We all have something we want to achieve in life and there is no reason we can't go after it AND attain it. I enjoyed this book and I will look into Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. I recommend this book. Rating 5/5

Title: The Testing Author: Joelle Charbonneau Series: The Testing, Book 1 About the Author: (Amazon) Joelle Charbonneau is a storyteller at heart. She has performed in a variety of operas, musical theatre and children's theatre productions across the Chicagoland area. In addition to her stage work, Joelle has also performed with several bands and worked as a solo performer.While Joelle is happy to perform for an audience, she is equally delighted to teach private voice lessons and use her experience from the stage to create compelling characters in her mysteries. She is the author of the Rebecca Robbins (Minotaur Books), the Glee Club Paige Marshall (Berkley) mysteries and the YA The Testing trilogy (The Testing, Independent Study and Graduation Day Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's).To learn more, visit Joelle at her website: www.joellecharbonneau.com Summary: (Amazon) It’s graduation day for sixteen-year-old Malencia Vale, and the entire Five Lakes Colony (t...

Marc Jacobs is well known for his fragrances. Daisy and Daisy Eau So Fresh help me to understand why - they smell great! Personally, I prefer the Eau So Fresh over the original, but I have received many compliments while wearing both (only wearing one at a time, though!).  Usually I stick to tropical scents - Hawaiian this, Island that...Hollister and Soul Surfer. These smells, however, are not tropical, yet I still enjoy them. Whereas with my usual sprays, I could probably send someone into an overdose with the amount I use, with these Marc Jacobs fragrances, less is more. A lot does not need to be sprayed to get the same strong lasting smell.  With Christmas getting close and Hanukkah already upon us, people are ready to do some gift-searching. If you still need to purchase a gift for someone or wish to tell someone what you want, but don't know what, consider one of these Marc Jacobs fragrances.  

Della thinks she sees her dead cousin run into an alley. Rather than run the other way, she investigates. What investigation ever had a good ending that began with the sighting of a supposedly dead relative running into a dark alley? Exactly. Now Della has big problems. I liked this short story. It was a fresh take on the genre. I liked the inner turmoil of Della's character. Finally someone who doesn't see the glamour of vampires. There was a lot of character development packed into this short story without it being overwhelming. I felt I really got to know Della and I cared what happened to her. The author's style is easy to get lost in and just enjoy the story. I recommend this short story and will be looking for more from this author and what happens next for Della. Rating 5/5 More reviews at www.cheresevinescharmingwords.wordpress.com

Starfire Angels Dark Angel Chronicles #1 by Melanie Nilles What we think we know of angels may be completely wrong. Raea wakes up in a cold sweat. She has dreamed of her mother again. Her mother has wings. Is it because she died 13 years ago and Raea's subconscious wants her to believe her mother is in a better place watching over her? For normal teens that would probably be the answer, except Raea wakes from one of these dreams with wings of her own. Starfire Angel Book # 1 of the Starfire Angels: Dark Angel Chronicles by Melanie Nilles reveals a possible truth about angels, at least for Raea, as she discovers her true origins. As I began this book, it was hard to really immerse myself. The story is written in third person limited where we are being told about Raea while still being privy to her thoughts and feelings. Here is where I had problems. Her thoughts were not distinguished by italics or even a new paragraph so that I would know that she wasn't speaking alo...

The Magnificent Twelve: The Call Mack has issues. His issues begin with his twenty or so phobias and continue with him being named a hero-the only one who can save the world from the Dread Foe. I laughed out loud at this book. It is a quick read with a quick wit. The reader is invited along on an adventure that doesn't seem likely to succeed. But it's such an enjoyable read that you hardly notice that the hero will probably get squashed-either by bullies at his school or the mother of all evil! This middle grade book is full of great dialog. Mack and the narrator keep the reader entertained. Grimluk's story is also intertwined well and compliments Mack's story-providing just what the reader needs to move the plot forward. Not many of the characters have just regular conversations. Humor is woven throughout yet it doesn't seem contrived. Although there are a few stereotypes, they also have wonderful twists to their personalities and are consistent in all situations...

Throughout the ages, the conflict of good versus evil has been included in many stories and poems, such as Beowulf . In this poem, Beowulf must face and defeat monsters, including the evil Grendel. Through bloody and gruesome fights, Beowulf continuously triumphs over the monsters, symbolizing the victory of good over evil. In Beowulf , the narrator uses allusions, archetypes, and imagery to illustrate how good always triumphs over evil.             The narrator uses allusions to characterize Grendel as evil. Grendel is described as a "monster born of Cain", alluding to the biblical story of Cain and Abel (20-21). According to the Bible , Cain was cursed by God for murdering Cain's brother, Abel. When the narrator mentions Grendel's genealogy, he is proving Grendel's evilness. By being a descendant of Cain, Grendel is also cursed by God, and therefore is the epitome of evil. Although Grendel represents this evil, he is still able...

Origin by J.A. Konrath is something else. What? I'm not sure. The story opens with Andy Dennison being offered/coerced into a job with the U.S. Government. In a secret underground installation, a creature has finally awakened from a coma 100 years after its discovery. Who knows how long it was there before then. But someone buried it eighty feet deep. That should have told the people who discovered it something. But people don't always pay attention to the obvious. One other little obvious detail is that the creature looks like Satan. Raise your hand if you think this doesn't end well. So Andy is brought into the project because his is a great linguist and the creature is speaking a language not heard in thousands of years. As he and the two doctors, a geneticist, a rabbi, a priest, and one star general try to figure out the creature; he has already figured them out. I was very much entertained and horrified at the same time. I could definitely see thi...

Now a popular television show, Witches of East End started as a novel by Melissa de la Cruz. The first in the Beauchamp series, Joanna, Freya, and Ingrid are just starting to rekindle their passion for magic and reignite the power inside them after being placed under a magical restriction since the horrible witch trials of Salem back in the 1600s. Each witch must deal with a new love (including one of a child) and a new era as they begin to use their magic again. This book was a fun and interesting read and I look forward to reading more about the Beauchamps and possibly watching the television series. About the Book: from Amazon: From the author of the highly addictive and bestselling Blue Bloods series, with almost 3 million copies sold, comes a new novel, Melissa de la Cruz's first for adults, featuring a family of formidable and beguiling witches. The three Beauchamp women-Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid-live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their ...

Queen Emily's Enchanted Kingdom Sugarland by Lee-Ann Graff-Vinson Queen Emily's Enchanted Kingdom Sugarland is about Emily who goes to sleep at night and awakes (in her dream) in an Enchanted Kingdom where she becomes Queen Emily. In this book, Queen Emily awakes to find her kingdom covered in sweet, sweet treats. Does she start out trying to find out why her kingdom has mini donuts on the merry-go-round and a swimming pool full of Jell-O like her trusty unicorn friend Stargazer advises? Well, first Queen Emily has to find out if what looks like and what smells like sweets are indeed sweets. From there, it is a sweet adventure for her taste buds. But when is enough, enough? This is a very cute book. I believe this is a series. I read it with my 6-year-old daughter and we laughed out loud. She had me read it two times back-to-back and asked me to read it a third time, but it was past her bedtime. The pictures were great. The book was written by a mother and daughter team an...

Burly and Grum and the Birthday Surprise by Kate Tenbeth This short chapter book about a bear named Burly and his groblin friend Grum having a birthday day trip to a deserted island has many surprises. The blend of unique characters sets the Burly and Grum stories apart. Who would think to put a talking bear, a groblin, a human boy and an angel all in one story? Their personalities are diverse and entertaining. The setting is perfect for such a zany story. I recommend this book and look forward to the others in the series. Rating 5/5 More reviews at www.cheresevinescharmingwords.wordpress.com

The Truth About Delilah Blue by Tish Cohen is a mega long book. It's good, just really long. I feel like it took me forever to finish it!! Whenever I picked it back up I didn't put it down until I absolutely had to because I wanted to keep reading, but those times when I did have it down and wasn't reading it, there was no strong desire to pick it back up to continue reading it, which is probably why it took so long-because my breaks were so long. It's a good book, although it is not a book that stays on your mind a long while.  Delilah Blue Lovett was kidnapped by her father when she was 8. They fled their home country of Canada to come to Los Angeles, California, USA. Now she goes by Lila Mack and is 20 years old. This is when her mother finally finds her, after 12 years of searching.  Once Delilah finds out the truth, her world comes crashing down around her. Life gets pretty crazy, but with the help of her family and friend, she gets through this tough time. But unt...

Burly & Grum's Halloween Adventure by Kate Tenbeth Burlington the bear, Grum the groblin and Max all dress up for Halloween as Dracula, the Hulk and a Mummy respectively. Once Burly and Grum get the hang of Halloween, it promises to be a fun night. When they meet a distraught fairy named Meg, it becomes an even more exciting night for the three friends. This is a nice Halloween story. My 6-year-old thought it was cute. We even loved the surprise addition of finding the audio book link at the end of the ebook. So we listened to the story again. I recommend this quick and fun little adventure. Rating 5/5 More reviews at www.cheresevinescharmingwords.wordpress.com

We loved this experience. Although we were late and passed it and had to come back, the staff were great and seated and served us right away. This is a great show. My children love Disney's Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and my daughter loves mermaids. This was the perfect show for my family. It had everything. My husband even liked it. :-) The seating is situated on either side of a huge tank/stage designed to look like three pirate ships. The Red and the Blue pirates face each other separated by the tank. We were Red pirates. It has good music, animals, acrobatics, audience participation, humor, suspense, and even a little scary part. The food was delicious. It was served in courses and the servers were efficient without letting us miss too much of the show. But there is so much going on, we'll have to go back to make sure we see it all. It was a great experience. Good for all ages. When you're looking for the building, look for the Opry first. It has the bigge...

My family stayed at this hotel last year, but this was my first stay there. This is a two-story hotel with an indoor pool, hot tub, exercise room, and Internet room. The rooms were comfortable. We had a suite so there was a twin pull-out sofa and desk in the sitting area. It was spacious and clean. There was a small refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker, and two televisions, one in the sitting room area and one in front of the two queen beds. The sitting room area television was not working so we did not use it. The beds were comfortable and clean. One thing I did not like was that the pool water was freezing and there was too much chemicals in it. My eyes were burning by the end of twenty minutes. Also it is a bit hard to find. Make sure you look out for the signs once you're off the highway. But once you find it, it is easy to get back on the highway and there are plenty of shopping and eating options nearby. The breakfast was adequate. I would have liked a little more fresh...