Warren and his friends are under attack! A coven of evil witches are attacking the hotel and manage to kidnap Beatrice, the hotel's chief of security. Warren must venture into the dark woods where whispering voices can be heard, and strange sap-squatch creatures lurk in the shadows.

I loved this book! The design is elaborate and the plot is mysterious. I loved the characters and the writing style. I flew right through the pages, and enjoyed the suspense and action in every chapter.

Warren is such a likable and interesting character! I really appreciated his curiosity, his resilience, and his love for the hotel. He feels connected to his parents and to his ancestors through their shared history in the hotel, and it gave the story a lot of depth to have that heritage.

There are so many great supporting characters, all unique and quirky and memorable. I really love how Warren develops these close friendships, and encounters new and strange characters through the story.

I loved the puzzles and secret codes in this book! I loved the rich history of the hotel, and the mystery surrounding the dark woods. The plot takes so many twists and turns, and I was surprised and in suspense right up to the last page.

The art design is incredible! There are only three colors, black, white, and green, but the artwork and designs are so elaborate and cleverly done that you barely realize that there are so few colors. There are full page illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, and smaller illustrations throughout the other pages. It really adds to the story, and immerses the reader into the world of the hotel.

I can't wait to read more books in this series!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

A young half-mortal boy grows up without knowing his real parents, in the care of a master blacksmith, Mime, from the underworld of the Nibelungs. The only way to truly discover his human heritage is to slay the great beast, Fafnir, and take the gold which will give him all knowledge. Odin has declared that no one can help Siegfried on his quest, and the blacksmith Mime is full of treachery. But one Valkyrie seems determined to help from the shadows.

I did not like the violence and blood in this one, but I guess I should have expected that considering the cover. I liked the story about the gods and goddesses and the dawn of the world. I was interested in how Siegfried grows up as a young boy full of anger, and becomes a man full of anger. Siegfried's character is very intense, but not as complex as I had expected. Perhaps he will have some further character development in the rest of the volumes in the series. He spends most of this book arguing with his guardian and fighting wolves.

The artwork is really beautiful and uses colors and shadows to show the emotions and action in the panels. I loved the designs of the characters, their facial expressions, clothing, and general appearance are full of energy and emotion. There are some gorgeous backgrounds and the setting of the forest is exquisite.

I was disappointed that only half of this book is the actual graphic novel, and the other half is an interview with the author and some sketch art. I was expecting a much longer story, giving the size of the book.

I love this manga about Chiaki, who hires KonMari to give her tidying lessons, and discovers a new life for herself in the process.
It really inspired me to get tidying and clean out all my junk! I really love the ideas in this book about finding joy, being real about your life, and finding your true self, and then crafting your living space to reflect what really makes you happy.

One of the best things in this book is the advice that while you are sorting through your piles of junk, You are NOT choosing what to get rid of; You are choosing what to keep. That one piece of advice will change your whole perspective on tidying.

I'm going to give the KonMari method a try.... as soon as I can find the time in my busy schedule working 3 jobs. I found out that there is also a KonMari App, called Spark Joy, and it's free!

*Reading it for the second time was just as much fun as the first time!

This book has made me even more inspired to tidy and clean up and organize and throw out all the junk in my life!
I like how this second KonMari book goes into more detail about how to store things, how to find joy, when to let go and when to keep things, and how to organize and fold. There are so many wonderful ideas and great advice in this book!

I'm about halfway through my tidying right now, and I keep going back to each section of the book to reread the advice for the category I'm going through that day/week. It's really encouraging and keeps me motivated to get rid of stuff that I don't really love, until the only things left are things that make me happy!

This book outlines where trigger points are located in our muscles, and how massage, pressure, and other therapies can help to alleviate that pain. The self-therapy techniques include self-massage, breathing exercises, stretching exercises designed to alleviate nerve tension, massaging or compressing a trigger point in your muscle, and Swedish movements for stretching your range of motion.

I really like the attitudes in this book, putting the power of healing back into the hands of the patient, instead of relying on doctors who don't give any answers or solutions other than prescription pain medication. The writing is so encouraging and gives good information about using techniques to heal yourself and find relief from pain and tension.

The information is organized in sections for each area of the body, with clear instructions and good advice for each type of pain. There are suggestions for simple tools that you can use to apply pressure, but you can also just use your hands. I love how the author gives a lot of other tips related to where you are holding tension, and how to use stress relief and general self-care to relax those muscles in addition to the trigger point therapy.

The illustrations are excellent, demonstrating where the trigger points can be found on the body, and how to do some of the stretching techniques.

This is such a great book for anyone dealing with chronic pain, or pain that pops up repeatedly with muscle strain or injury.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This book has easy and fun meditations for children that helps them to navigate tough emotions, calm their impatience, and learn to listen. The meditations are grouped in categories for increasing your positive energy, improving concentration and creativity, and opening your heart to kindness and compassion. There is an entire chapter of meditations just for bedtime, to soothe and calm the mind and body.

Each meditation has a cute illustration that demonstrates the imaginary things we are thinking of during the meditation. One meditation says to imagine that you are wearing a warm jacket on a cold day. You zip up the jacket from your belly button to your neck, and as you zip it up your spine straightens and you sit up tall. There is an illustration of an animal wearing a jacket with fall leaves all around them.

I love how imaginative and different all the meditations are! They really use creative ways to get a child to listen and be still. I love the meditations about analyzing your own feelings and finding ways to ask for help if you need it. It's just right for little kids, and speaks to them on their level while guiding them to understand themselves. There are so many good messages about peace, compassion, and happiness in this book!

I can't wait to share these meditations with my little nieces!


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Warren and his friends set out on a new adventure with the hotel, traveling the seas and encountering pirates. When Warren's beloved pet, Sketchy, is kidnapped, he'll do anything to find his friend!

I loved this book! The design is elaborate and the plot is mysterious. I loved the characters and the writing style. I flew right through the pages, and enjoyed the action in every chapter.

Warren is such a likable and interesting character! I really appreciated his curiosity, his resilience, and his love for the hotel. He feels connected to his parents and to his ancestors through their shared history in the hotel, and it gave the story a lot of depth to have that heritage. He finds clues that his father left behind for him, and that gives him the courage to face difficult circumstances.

There are so many great supporting characters, all unique and quirky and memorable. I really love how Warren develops these close friendships, and encounters new and strange characters through the story. It was interesting to see how Warren navigates the sticky relationships with different characters.

I loved the puzzles and secret codes in this book! I loved the rich history of the hotel, and the mystery surrounding the kidnapping of Sketchy. The plot takes so many twists and turns, and kept my interest right up to the last page.

The art design is incredible! There are only three colors, black, white, and electric blue, but the artwork and designs are so elaborate and cleverly done that you barely realize that there are so few colors. There are full page illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, and smaller illustrations throughout the other pages. It really adds to the story, and immerses the reader into the world of the hotel.

One of the special things in this book that shows the careful thought that was put into the design is when the ship is caught in the waves and tossed to and fro. Right when the text says that the ship was lurching to the left, the entire page of text is printed tilting to the left, and on the next page when the ship is lurching to the right, the page is tilted to the right! It's a really fun way to bring the design of the book into the story and involve the reader.

I loved the ending to this trilogy, and enjoyed the whole series so much!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

This book is now full of sticky notes where I've bookmarked places and quotes that I want to remember! I really like the positive and light-hearted attitude of this book. The author's writing is very welcoming and accepting, with lots of personal examples of mistakes and discoveries. I really think this method for decluttering will work for me, and I'm excited to try it out! My mind is already bursting with ideas for storage and things to get rid of!

I thought it was very funny that the author talks to her possessions, thanking them for a job well done at the end of the day; then I remembered that I often talk to my books, telling them to rest easy on the shelf, and not make trouble with the book characters next to them. Sometimes if the cover of a book is truly lovely, I'll say "You beautiful darling, you!" to my book as I stroke the cover lovingly. Yes, I am a crazy person! But Marie Kondo is also crazy, so that is all right.

She also advises that everyone should greet their home as they walk in the door, and I already do this! I call out, "Hello, the house!" when I come home from work. I've been doing it for years now! My family thinks this is hilarious, and they reply, "Helloo, the Kailey!"

I also really liked that she advocates decluttering by category, and not by location. That way you have all of one type of item in one place, and you know how much you really have. Instead of having the same items all over the house, you put them in one place, so you can see how much there really is. Very smart!

One of the best things about this book is that it addresses the underlying emotional issues (guilt, boredom, fear) that cause us to hoard things, and keep things we don't need or don't like. Letting go of the physical manifestations of these negative emotions will allow us to be free to move forward and discover the life we truly want. This really resonated with me, because I think the emotional baggage that my possessions carry around are weighing me down, and stopping me from being free to fully live.

I read this book really quickly, because it has such a light feeling. I enjoyed the little glimpses of the author's personal journey to find the best way to stay tidy.
Can't wait to try it out for myself!

With stunning photographs, this book chronicles the ocean explorations of the author, a marine biologist. Along with personal stories and anecdotes, this book includes the facts and science about everything in the ocean from currents to sharks.

The first section explores waves, tsunamis, and currents, ice shelves, and answers why the ocean is blue and why it contains salt water.

The second chapter focuses on the fish and animals that live in the ocean. There are articles and facts about seals, whales, and other mammals, as well as fish and creatures that live in the deepest parts of the ocean. The photographs of these fish are absolutely gorgeous, showcasing their bright colors and delicate fins. There are also facts about sea plants like kelp forests, and a whole page about coral reefs.

I especially liked the articles about the history of exploration and the new ecosystems and creatures like giant clams that were first discovered in 1977. The third section is all about underwater vehicles, deep sea diving suits, and submersibles and how these allowed explorers to go further than ever before. There is even a timeline of exploration showing the farthest, the deepest, and the most extreme places explorers have ever been! There are even facts and photos of underwater laboratories where scientists called aquanauts can stay for up to 10 days doing experiments.

I really love that you can rely on the facts presented in this book, because you know it's coming from the experts and it's written in an impartial way without political agenda. The last two chapters are titled, "An Ocean in Trouble" and "How to Save an Ocean", and it details ways that pollution and trash are damaging the oceans and what we can do to help.

This is such an informative and interesting book!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Rollie and his best friend, Cecily, have just been accepted into the prestigious Sherlock Academy. They have to solve clues to figure out their class schedule, learn the art of disguise, decode secret messages to find out their assignments, and analyze fingerprints in the class roster. But there is a deeper mystery hidden in the library of Sherlock Academy, and a burglar is after Rollie's most treasured book!

I loved everything about this book! The characters, the plot, the mystery, the action, the school, the writing style... everything is wonderful!

Rollie is an excellent main character. He's smart and observant, and he wants to be just like Sherlock Holmes. I really identified with his thought process and his emotions and excitement in the middle of a mystery.

I loved the easy friendship between Rollie and Cecily. They are great friends, and it really shows in their banter and camaraderie. I loved how they nickname each other "Holmes" and "Watson."

The writing style is excellent, drawing the reader into the story. The plot leaves little foreshadowing clues all over the place for the reader to wonder over until the mystery is revealed. I love the puzzles and codes, and the plot kept me interested right to the very end.

I can't wait to read more books in this series!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.