I love and adore everything to do with Avatar, but this little book was really just a cut and paste of screenshots from the TV show, and that doesn't exactly work well for a book.

If there had been new art that was created for a book format, it would have looked better and flowed better for a written story. A lot of the time the action wasn't clear, because the panels weren't created to make that action clear on paper.

Other Avatar comics that I've seen (like The Search or The Rift) were actually created to be comics, and those are wonderful and work perfectly and the artwork is fantastic! So I was disappointed to see that this is so poorly organized.

As far as the story goes, of course I adore Aang and Katara and Sokka! The plot is perfection, the characters are marvelous, and the world building is phenomenal! I just wish this little comic did them justice.

Phoebe is best friends with a unicorn named Marigold, and this has some pros and cons. Unicorns have magic and can help you win a game of handball at recess or perform in a talent show, but their magic doesn't always work as planned. Phoebe and Marigold have to navigate both the human and unicorn cultures to keep their friendship strong, and they are always learning something new and interesting about each other.

I loved the fun camaraderie between Phoebe and Marigold! They are such cute friends, and I loved how they banter back and forth. Their dialogue is really funny and silly!

This comic is organized in panels like a web comic with little snippets of jokes and one-liners. I like the format and how the humor pulls the stories together.

I would love to read more from this comic. It's light-hearted and delightful!


Disclaimer: I received an e-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.

Thomas and his magical friends are determined to stop the evil Arius before he can find a staff of great power and use it to destroy everything they hold dear. A mysterious monster is stalking them, so Thomas' teacher, Scott, accelerates their training in magic abilities and fighting techniques. Thomas' mother has been keeping secrets about where Thomas' father really disappeared, and Thomas will have to decide who he can trust.

I enjoyed this book so much! The magic system is marvelous, the plot is brilliant, and the characters are deep and endearing.

One thing I really loved is how this book continues the world-building from the first book in the series with the history of magical artifacts and other mysterious worlds. It also dives into Thomas' family past and his heritage of magic. I loved seeing how this world develops even further and poses new questions and new mysteries to be solved.

The absolute best thing about this book is the characters and their relationships with one another. I love Thomas' relationship with his best friends, Enrique and Akhil. They tease each other, and their banter is priceless! I feel like they are real people, because there are so many great details about their friendship.
Thomas' relationship with his mother is a little strained in this book, but I liked to see the character development and growth as they work through it and learn to trust each other again.

I loved the fascinating characters that Thomas meets along his journey. They are all so memorable and unique, with mysterious back-stories and secrets. I was intrigued by every new person that Thomas encounters, and desperate to know more about them.

There is a big plot-twist reveal at the end that I saw coming a mile away. I knew what the plot twist was going to be on page 84, but that didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book. I still wanted to see how it would all develop and how the plot twist would be revealed.

The first book in the series has some pacing issues, but this second book did not have any of those problems. The action moves along swiftly, the scenes are dramatic, and the characters are complex and emotional.

I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

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

In case you missed it in elementary school, here are the rules for using punctuation so that your writing will make sense. There are snippets from history about how punctuation was first invented in the library at Alexandria, and how the Greeks and Romans developed their own styles of punctuation that morphed into what we use today. There are tons of examples of correct and incorrect punctuation in different types of sentences, questions, quotations, and clauses.

The best thing about this book is the comedic writing style. The author uses humor to make the punctuation rules memorable and fun.

There are sections for the period, comma, apostrophe, question mark, colon, semicolon, and a dozen others, and an entire chapter for markings that look like punctuation but aren't, like the & and @ symbols.

One of the things I really appreciated was how the author referenced different style guides (Chicago Manual Style, Modern Language Association, The Blue Book, and Associated Press) that are used by newspapers, educational and science journals, and fiction and non-fiction publishers to explain why there is some controversy about different punctuation usage. The press have their own set of rules because of the nature of their format, as do scientific writings because of the subject material. I loved that this book explains the different style guides and the various rules that apply to each.

However, I got tired of the author being so sarcastic about "punctuation snobs". I mean, it's fine to have some light-hearted humor and laugh at ourselves when we care so much about each little comma and apostrophe, but the author kept making the same joke over and over about "punctuation pedants". There is even a recurring section in the book entitled "How to Beat the Snobs". After 100 pages of non-stop mocking, I got tired of it. The author is a self-proclaimed punctuation snob, so I guess they were poking fun at themselves, but I think they went overboard with it. It was funny the first time; after that, not so much.

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

With guided meditations, mantras, and intentions, this book leads the reader into a more peaceful mindset full of gratitude and joy. There are journal prompts that explore deep questions and emotions, always moving toward a more positive outlook.

The writing is beautifully encouraging and gentle. I love how the author softly draws us into a quiet place of reflection.

This book is divided into four chapters entitled "Find Inner Peace, Focus Your Mind, Overcome Obstacles, Foster Gratitude and Spread Joy." Then each chapter is divided into sections for each meditation, journaling pages, and intention setting. There is plenty of room for journaling and writing in your thoughts.

There are inspirational quotes at the beginning of each section with beautiful watercolor designs in muted colors. Some of the quotes are from Buddha, Mahatma Ghandi, or Deepak Chopra; but others are from people like John F. Kennedy, Christopher Reeve, and Maya Angelou.

Most of the meditations are basic beginner meditations like focusing on your breath, noticing your surroundings, imagining a safe place, scanning your body, or repeating a simple mantra. And yet, these are excellent meditations for seasoned meditators too. I love the details and the gentleness of each meditation.

I really appreciated that this meditation book keeps things simple. Each theme is applicable to any person from any walk of life. There are no religious ideas taught in this book, so most of the general concepts could be used by anyone and adapted to your own philosophy or beliefs.


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher/ author 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 begins with advice on being vegan and the benefits for your health.
There are some good instructions about including vitamins and supplements in your vegetable diet, as well as answering questions about getting enough protein. Meal planning is made easy with grocery shopping lists, kitchen supplies and tools, and how to buy items in bulk to save money.

The recipes are divided into sections for "Staples, Sauces, and Dressings; Tofu, Tempeh, and Soy; Beans, Legumes, and Seeds; Fruits, Vegetables, Mushrooms; Grains, Quinoa, Millet; Snacks and Sides; and Desserts". This includes things like homemade vegan mayonnaise, tempeh BLT sandwiches, chickpea omelets, minestrone soup, vegetarian chili, barley burrito bowl, cinnamon orange french toast, and peanut butter chip cookies.

Each recipe has information about whether or not the food is soy-free, gluten-free, or nut-free, as well at nutrition labels. There are excellent tips for storing your leftovers, as well as variations on the recipe to try out. The instructions are easy to follow and don't require any difficult techniques.

There are gorgeous photos of the prepared food at the beginning of each chapter, but I wish there were more photos so that the reader could see what the food will look like before trying a recipe.


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 begins by exploring the different benefits of living dairy-free, such as anti-aging, clear skin, improved digestion, and a stronger immune system. There are lists of foods to avoid, common dairy substitutes, and staples to include in your kitchen pantry.

Chapter Two is all about Meal Prep: how to make large batches and store them, how to plan ahead, and what not to prep ahead of time. There is a chart that shows how long meats and salads will keep fresh in the fridge or freezer.

The next chapters give detailed meal plans for 6 weeks, with a shopping list for each week, and recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The recipes have wonderful tips for substituting ingredients, as well as labels for Nut-Free, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Vegan, and Egg-Free options. There are also instructions for how to store and reheat the leftovers.

There are also bonus recipes that are not part of the meal plan, but can be used to supplement the meal plan or used as snacks. These include recipes for sauces, chocolate protein muffins, orange chicken with broccoli basmati, veggie burgers, sesame chicken wings, and more.

There are gorgeous photos of the prepared food at the beginning of each chapter, but I wish there were more photos so that the reader could see what the food will look like before trying a recipe.


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.

If you are doing any kind of genealogy research, this book will help to organize the information, catalogue the facts, and track all the records of your family history. This book also includes wonderful advice about how to find US Census documents, death and birth records, and marriage records of your ancestors. There are also worksheets to use when interviewing family members and recording oral history. There is a log for cataloging family heirlooms, another for charting your distant cousins, and even one for researching the sale of enslaved people.

I do love a good worksheet! But this book takes it to the next level with charts, records, timelines, maps, trackers, logs, medical history, and more. My little organizational heart is so happy with this design!

I love how clearly everything is organized with lots of room for writing in your family information. The colors of the design are beautiful, and every page is clear and straightforward.

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 designed to help non-native English speakers to perfect their English grammar and navigate the many exceptions to the rules while speaking and writing English. The instruction goes way beyond "i before e except after c" type of rules, and addresses common pitfalls and mistakes that people make when learning English.

The reality is that many people who are native English speakers could read this book and learn a lot about their own language. Americans are especially known for having a poor understanding of the most basic rules of grammar and syntax, and could really benefit from a refresher in this book.

The chapters teach about nouns, plurals, adjectives, adverbs and verbs, prepositions, and punctuation. Each section has instruction, explanations of the exceptions, examples, and then several exercises so the reader can try it out for themselves. I was impressed with how different each of the exercises are: some for writing, answering a question, choosing true or false, filling in the blank, and a dozen more types of practice.

I really like how this book is designed. Each chapter builds on the one before, and the final sections are all about how to write for common scenarios like a job application, resume, a school essay, a professional email, or a party invitation. There are also common phrases that are used when signing a lease, or making a doctor's appointment.

At the back of the book there is a glossary, a chart of irregular verbs, a "cheat sheet" that lists the parts of speech, and of course, the answer key for all the exercises so you can check your work.

I think this book would be so helpful to anyone learning English or teach English. I really love how the information is presented and the way learning and teaching are approached in such a positive way.

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.

While Gilbert finishes medical school, Anne teaches at a high school on P.E.I. The snobby Pringle clan makes her life difficult, and her Pringle students all misbehave in class, until Anne finds the secret to winning them over.

I never get tired of reading these wholesome books. Even without the love interest hanging in the balance for Anne and Gilbert, this book is so full of fun and heartache both, and it never gets boring! Each character is lively and unique!

I love Rebecca Dew, Aunt Chatty, and Aunt Kate! They are such funny and sweet characters. And I absolutely adore little Elizabeth. Her story arc is so lovely and interesting.

I only wish we saw more of Gilbert. He only has one scene in the entire book.

I love how Anne tries meddling in other people's lives, sometimes with good results where she really does help people, and sometimes ending in disaster. She is still full of that spunk and mischief that she had as a little girl, but tempered with some maturity and a little more wisdom.