In the introduction of this book, the author writes: "I Work at a Public Library is for anyone who enjoys the absurdity and humanity of everyday life." This absolutely nails it.

Some stories made me chuckle, some made me cringe. Some were heartwarming, some were infuriating. This book is certainly takes you on a ride!

The idea behind this book began on Tumblr at iworkatapubliclibrary.com, which, if you haven't checked out yet, I highly recommend doing so right now! It's so wonderful.

The book is split up into categories such as "Computers", "Reading Interests and Habits", and even "Bullying". The book ends with a section titled "Volumes of Gratitude." What a wonderful way to wrap up the book! I could read this section over and over again.

Many of the stories included made me laugh, but the vast majority made me cringe a bit. Overall I really enjoyed this book! I would recommend this to any reader, but especially readers that love their local library.

The Stonekeeper's Curse by Kazu Kibuishi is the second book in the Amulet series. Just like the first book, I absolutely loved this one!

In this book, Emily and Navin are starting to adjust to their new lives post-Amulet find. In books like this, I get really nervous that the character with new found power will just automatically know exactly how to use it. So I was relieved when we saw Emily learning slowly with guidance from others. Sure, some was a bit too easy, but for a middle grade book, it worked. I was also so excited that we got to learn more about the backstory of the Amulet's power.

The artwork in this book was exactly like the artwork in the first, which was a relief to me. I can't stand when the artwork in a series changes with each book. The artwork here is just so stunning!

Just like Amulet Book 1, I enjoyed every second of this read! I can't wait to jump into Book 3!

Midnight Blade by T.L. Branson is another short story that is inspired by the world and characters of the upcoming release of the first book in the Soul Stones series, Soul Render.

I had previously read Ash and Steel, another short story in this world, and absolutely loved it. When Mr. Branson reached out to me with a copy of Midnight Blade, I was pumped!

This read made me even more antsy for the release of Soul Render!

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

My thoughts:
In my review for Ash and Steel, I wrote: "I do hope to see more of Callum and Drygo in the upcoming series! *fingers crossed*" When I read the first line of Midnight Blade, "All his life, Davion Callum wondered if he would find his parents." I gave a cheer right out loud! I was so excited to have the chance to learn more about Callum and his backstory. So of course, later, when Drygo made an appearance there was another cheer that I just couldn't hold back.

Just like the other short story that I've read by T.L. Branson, I thought this story was wonderfully organized! Each of the three parts flowed so well into one another and the pacing of each part was perfect. I really enjoyed that we started with a battle, slowed to give a little back story, and then ended with another battle.

And again, I just have to say that author has a wonderful way of describing things... especially the action sequences! While reading, I could both picture and hear things that were being described in my head.


My favorite passages:
Rommel's personal study was the height of luxury. Bookcases filled with books ran the length of the room. A grand fireplace adorned the left wall, its low fire casting a soft glow. Along the far wall sat a large bed for when Rommel couldn't be bothered to return to his quarters. Beyond it, a balcony stretched out over Havan's northern sea. The glass doors would normally be open, curtains lightly fluttering in the breeze, but spring was late and the night was unusually cold.

"Don't quit until you no longer draw breath. All is not yet lost," Platz said to Callum.

"No change of plans. Send Callum," the high lord said.
"Send me? Send me where? What's phase three? What happened to phase two?" Callum asked.
"Did anyone ever tell you that you ask too many questions?" Rommel asked, rubbing his forehead.

...no joy could be found under the shadow of grief.

She ran straight to Callum and embraced him, placing her head on his chest. Warmth flooded through him that no fire could provide. He placed his arms around her and held her tight.

He opened it, looked upon its writing once more, and tossed it onto the hot coals of the dying fire. A flame left up and engulfed his old life, giving birth to a new one.

My final thoughts:
I absolutely loved this short story! I cannot wait to get my hands on Soul Render so I can dive back into this world yet again! If you haven't yet, I highly recommend checking out these short stories!

Oh my gosh. I had so much fun reading this book!

When I first read the book synopsis, I thought it would be a bit out of my wheelhouse. But I was very happily proved wrong! I mean, just from this passage, I should have known that this author's humor was going to be a hit with me:

"If you love books about reincarnation, corruption, the human condition, OCD and talking pigeons then this is the book for you. OK, you've never read a book like that before... here's your chance!"

Seriously, give this book a chance! :)

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

My thoughts: There will be some slight spoilers! Proceed with caution.
Oh my goodness I don't even know how to start with this one! I just loved it so much! I mentioned the humor above, so lets start there!

So like I said, the humor was right up my alley. I found myself laughing so much! I also marked a bunch of passages to go back to later in order to add to the bottom of this review. So if you'd like to read some of those, check out the "My favorite passages" section below. However, while there was plenty of humor and wit, there was also a layer of seriousness and many darker topics that were woven throughout the story.

I thought that the authors writing style was so wonderful. Sometimes the beginnings of a chapter would seem a bit off, almost like it was a weird rambling, but then suddenly it would flow perfectly back into the storyline. Let me tell you, I LOVE when authors can pull this off! The only other person I have seen do this successfully is Daniel Handler (or Lemony Snicket). A great example of this is Chapter 18, where the passage begins discussing luck seemingly on a tangent before it seamlessly moves back into Ian's storyline.

The storyline was organized in a very awesome way that kept me guessing about what would happen next. I was still guessing up to the very last page! I loved that we cycled through different perspectives of each character. And the characters themselves were well developed! I loved that we got to learn more about each of them as the story progressed both through their own perspectives and the perspectives of other characters.

I loved the transitions between chapters. One of my favorites was when John and Nash were planing to take a private jet back home in one chapter. Then in the next chapter, which was titled "Flight 44," two pigeons learned how to fly.

I also really enjoyed the amount of detail that this author added to the storyline. Some of this I was a bit slow to pick up on, but some I got right away! Here is one example... As a reader we knew that the substance that had the ability to alter a person's soul was called Emorfed. In one chapter we learn that the two pigeons have named their siblings Emma and Fred. Then, there was this:
"Em or Fred," muttered Sandy slowly, several times over and over again.
"Those two, remember I call them EM and FRED," replied Ian, even more slowly as if talking to an idiot.
"I've got this word Em-or-fed circling around me. It's something important but I can't work it out. Does it mean anything to you, Ian?"

I didn't make the Em and Fred/Emorfed connection until right then when it was all laid out for me! Phew!

Sometimes I struggle with sic-fi because I get a bit lost in the explanation. But the sci-fi elements here were very well written. Everything was explained in a way that made sense to an everyday reader like me. Nothing seemed to go over my head, and nothing seemed too far fetched.

Finally, I have to mention the cover. It's so clever. When I first saw it, I was immediately drawn to it. But only once you have read the book, will each element of the cover make sense. Genius!


My favorite passages:
If this man wasn’t away with the fairies he was most certainly waiting patiently in the departure lounge clutching his boarding pass.

The first noticeable thing about him was that he was smoking. Not the conventional human way. The smoke was coming out of his skin, a composition of solid and molten rock that burnt with the intensity of the sun. The man’s smile showed off his chiselled, pumice rock teeth and as a result a small crack opened across his stone face releasing a small line of lava. Even though he was made entirely of rock most of the normal human characteristics were present.

There was never even a close compromise between people with sacred views, the two subjects having divided generations of scholars and beer drinkers alike.

When he reached ‘Conference Room C’ the door was ajar and a man sat typing violently into a laptop computer. Frustrated with the instrument, he tapped the keys in an over-dramatic fashion as if they might respond better to force.

As much as he was finding it hard to accept his surroundings, he couldn’t but be annoyed that he was being mocked by a pile of mud.

“Emotion is not what makes us weak, Brimstone. It’s what makes us human. The ability to care, even if people often do not.”

It was a beautiful May morning in Buckinghamshire. The warm sunlight shone down upon the wooded valley bathing it in a shower of golden glitter that played hide and seek with bush and thicket. The spring plumage that covered twig and branch was a kaleidoscope of pastel shades. Flowers of red, yellow, white and blue quivered in the brisk wind and danced in time to a secret melody.

Sandy stopped in his tracks overcome by the strength of her perfume, a sickly aroma so potent that it must have been hosed on to her using a water canon.

A widely accepted opinion on modern day Earth is that you make your own luck. Yet the word luck is still used frequently when something unplanned or improbable happens. Often combined with a friendly expletive, the word might be used when a golfer hits a ball straight into the hole from a hundred yards. That would be seen to be lucky, yet paradoxically if that same shot had landed an inch from the hole it might be greeted with consolation and cries of, ‘bad luck.’

It was about ten o’clock in the evening but the bright full moon tricked the night’s sky into believing it was much earlier.

Dressed like he’d just left an expensive gentlemen’s club, a gold pocket watch and chain swung from his double breasted suit jacket that peeked out from his long coat, as his gleaming shoes were in competition with the moon itself.

A gaze of such utter confusion it resembled someone struggling with an unfathomable mathematics calculation or the age old riddle of why women needed so many shoes?

“One man’s view of right is alien to someone with opposing opinions."

Real power is facing up to your problems when you want to hide from them. Real power is picking yourself up from a fall and redoubling your efforts. Real power is the strength to choose what is right.


My final thoughts:
The author told me that, "The Limpet Syndrome doesn’t really have a natural ‘wheel house’ but sits in everyone’s ‘odd space’ that most of us have!" And I 100% agree. I would very highly recommend this book to those that don't mind reads that are a bit strange!

I will warn readers that this was a bit of a slow read, but I do not say that with any negativity at all! It was just a denser book than I usually read, so it took me more time to read. And I absolutely loved every second of it! Five stars!

Recently, when I saw the roll call for ARC readers for her latest book titled Locked Out, I signed up immediately! I had seen her post here and there on Facebook dropping hints about the novel and I just couldn't wait to read it!

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

She has done it again; I loved this book so much! I had to fight with myself to put it down when I had to go to sleep or work. I easily could have picked this up on a weekend morning and read straight through!

The overall plot was so interesting! I thought that the mystery element was done very well; I didn't see the resolution of it coming at all! While the book was centered around the mystery element, there was also a fair amount of cutesy romance and thrilling suspense; both of which were also wonderful!

What amazing characters! The good characters were so funny and realistic, and the bad characters were super sketchy! I really enjoyed learning more about each character as they spent more time with the main character, Emeline. Brandon was my favorite character. I found myself laughing out loud with his little one-liners and pop culture references. He reminded me so much of my fiancé!

As the author warned me when she sent the book file, there were a few typos here and there. There were also a few areas that were a bit repetitive, but it didn't take away from the reading experience at all! And of course, this is an ARC that the author is still working on, so I'd be willing to bet she has already fixed the issues I saw.


My favorite passages: POTENTIAL SPOILERS

Ethan tried to get away. He was just a foot away from Emeline now and his stomach was about ready to go into the Black Bear without him.

Nobody's there, she thought, You're too old to be afraid of the dark. Emmie knew this. But, oh my, it didn't seem to be trust at the moment because fear was turning her spine into ice prickling jelly.

Before he thought better of it, Ethan was staring up at Emmie as she glided down the stairs. Glided? He didn't know when he started using words like 'glided' to describe a woman but that's the only way he could describe it.

Get a grip, Emmie. Ha, get a grip. Emeline didn't realize she'd snorted out loud until she saw the questioning look Ethan threw over his shoulder.

"If working at Rebuild doesn't work out, you might want to consider becoming a chef," Brandon chuckled. Ethan waited for it. He knew his brother too well. "For pets!"
Brandon dissolved into more laughter. Hawk was shaking his head. Emma was trying to get Kruffles off the table but the cat wasn't giving up the cherry reduction.

"Oooh, master," Brandon dropped one shoulder down and did a limping shuffle over to Ethan. He made a face and said in a scary voice, "Master, that is such a brilliant plan."

Her brain skipped around last night like a cricket on Redbull.

Seeing her this happy was beyond words. She had a smile that made his heart skip a beat.

"Good morning, Emeline. You okay?"
"Peachy. Perfect. Just great." Emmie heard the increased pitch to her voice. If she didn't calm down, her voice will be so hight, it'll call dogs. She took a deep breath and said a little calmer as she walked past Hawk, "I'm a little nervous."

"Take care of her."
"I will guard her like the super hero I pretend to be this night." Brandon proclaimed with a flourish.

"Guys, don't you get it? She did it in the ballroom with the candlestick!" Her laughter was quickly followed by a groan as she grabbed her head.
Brandon connected it first and started laughing.
Ethan turned his frown on him and Brandon said between laughs, "Clue!"

My final thoughts:
I loved every second of this read! I would highly recommend picking this one up if you enjoy fast-paced, fun mysteries with elements of cutesy romance.

I cannot wait for book two to be published! These characters are definitely ones that I would happily read about time and time again!

Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O'Neill is an adorable and refreshing take on the typical princess-in-a-tower-needing-rescue storyline. It's a very quick read, but I can't recommend it highly enough!

*insert incoherent, exited babble here*

THIS BOOK WAS SO CUTE! I don't want to spoil anything so I will keep this brief.

I thought that the storyline and the artwork were both so well done. I particularly enjoyed the expressions on the characters faces in many of the panels where something shocking or humorous had occurred. The humor was adorable, but definitely very middle-grade oriented.

While I would have loved to see these two go on more adventures together, I thought that the organization of the story was perfect. And oh my gosh... that epilogue!

I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys middle grade graphic novels.

The Cloud Searchers by Kazu Kibuishi is book number three in the Amulet series. Like the previous two, I absolutely adored this.

This series continues to impress me!

In this book, we continue to see Emily learning more about her power and how to control it. I really liked that when we see her training with Leon Redbeard, he says, "Do you remember what you learned at Demon's Head? The ability to hold someone without destroying it. Now you will need to take it a step further." This helped to both slowly guide her training as well as giving the readers a little refresher. Wonderfully done!

The artwork is so stunning; I love the style so much. I continued to enjoy most of the cast of characters, especially the new ones that we got to meet in this book!

My only complaint about is about the mother. It seemed to me that in this book, the mothers character just isn't consistent. One second she's listening and being supportive but the next she's not listening and causing issues. Rather than being a fully developed character, it's like she's just written in to certain scenes to help the story along.

Luckily, that didn't take away from my overall thoughts about the book! I would still highly recommend this series, beginning with book one of course. As soon as I finish typing this, I am going to request book four from my local library!

Kermit the Hermit by Bill Peet is an adorable story about a crab with a compulsive hoarding problem. There's danger, adventure, and treasure! But there are also a few lessons to learn along the way.

I really enjoyed this read! The artwork was cute and I loved the pencil-lined texture. The overall storyline flowed well and while reading I kept thinking about how fun this would be to read out loud to a kiddo. I loved that it was written with a A/B/A/B rhyme scheme:
The crumpled tin lid caught the sun’s bright reflection
Which caused it to sparkle every direction,
And since the old miser had never been told
That bright things that glitter are not always gold
He suppose that it must be some valuable thing
That someone had lost, gold watch or ring...

There were many themes throughout the story that would be great talking points for parents and children. Just a few included greed and repercussions for your actions, but also kindness.

Unless it is cured sometimes greediness grows
Where it finally stops, alas, nobody knows...

There was one line that made me stop and say, "Oh come on...":

Where he spied some small boys, half a dozen or more-
Tall ones and scrawny ones, one who is fat...

Really? This line alone would sway me to not want to read it to a future child.

Overall I really enjoyed this read! I would recommend it to any adult that is a fan of cute children's books. I would also recommend it to parents looking for a great book to read to a child. However, I would caution parents about that one line. That little snag is what made me drop my rating to four teacups rather than five.

DNF.

The first scene is a great way to immediately make me want to bail on the entire book. Staring with a scene about a man cheating in his wife? Not cool with me. However, I pushed on and made it halfway before having to call it...

Part one was a total mess to me. I had a really hard time keeping the characters straight because the narrative threw them in pretty quickly, didn’t give much to really let them sink in, and then kept changing perspectives. As I read on, I began to keep the characters straight, but then new ones were thrown in; characters that didn't play a major role. To me this added more confusion as we were given some backstory that just didn't seem important.

Description of the characters irked me. It happens a couple times before I realized I was annoyed.
“Marcella’s profile could not be described as attractive, but she had grown into her looks...” “...but she’s not been blessed with Caroline’s beauty...” Like I said above, none of the descriptions allowed me to imagine the characters, so they all blended together.

The narrative was incredibly slow to me. There were a few situations that I enjoyed reading, but overall I just dreaded picking the book back up after setting it down.

And lastly, politics just leave such a bad taste in my mouth. I should have known that this would be an issue for this read, but I wanted to give it a go anyway. I mean, in this book, for example, when a candidate dies in a plane crash in this book, people immediately jockey to put out a statement first so they can use the situation to their advantage. Gross.

Looking for a fun read that will help you jump start your digital marketing efforts? Then The Lead Machine is the perfect book for you!

I have personally been in the marketing world for four years now. With my experience, a lot of the information in this book was already familiar for me. However, there were some things that I appreciated the refresher on, as well as a few new things that I learned!

I've found that many business books can be horribly dry, but this wasn't the case here! The humor and references to pop culture in The Lead Machine was just right.

My favorite new tip from this book was about the spam filter in Gmail. I had NO idea that Gmail will flag an email as "Promotions" if there is an image and/or a link near too close to the top of the email body. "If you want to improve open rates, you need to avoid the Promotions tab, which means no images and limit any links to the bottom of your email." WHAT?! I personally LOVE emails that have beautiful photo banners across the top of the email... I'll have to look more into this.

Beware, the negatives:
There is way too much praise for the book and the company in the beginning. This was really off putting to me. I've already picked up the book, I've read the testimonial on the cover and the five testimonials on the back. The pages of other "praise" was just too much.

My only other complaint is that right in the first chapter I found myself noting edits... whether that was because of sentence structure, heading format, or reputation. This continued throughout the book.

My final thoughts:
Overall, I really enjoyed this read! I will definitely be recommending this one to others in the near future.