Review: Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

Title: Fortunately, the Milk
Author: Neil Gaiman
Format: E-book (Kindle)
Date Read: December 7, 2013
Rating: 5/5
Recommend: YES YES YES YES!

Summary: While picking up milk for his children's cereal, a father is abducted by aliens and finds himself on a wild adventure through time and space.

Review: The ability for this man to craft a story astounds me! Everything he writes, I fall in love with, and this one is no exception!  This one I read in a couple of hours, and it is such an adorable, whimsical story that had me sucked in from the very beginning, and the illustrations are just pure delight added to an already fantastic story. 

A father has to head to the corner store to obtain milk for his children's cereal so they actually have something for breakfast (and he has milk for his tea).  However, it isn't just a simple trip to the corner store for milk as the father is then abducted by aliens! 

This book features aliens, dinosaurs, time travel, strange jungle people, a volcano god, wumpires, and two children who ultimately can choose to believe or not believe their father's fanciful tale of what happened and why his trip to the store took longer than it should have.

Review: Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: Witches of East End

Author: Melissa de la Cruz

Format: E-book (Kindle)

Date Read: December 5-7, 2013

Rating: 3/5

Recommend: Maybe

Summary: The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid, live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

Review: 

Okay, so I've become addicted to the television show based on this book.  I am, however not a fan of this book.  It took me a bit to get into it, but ultimately I did end up finishing it in about a day and a half or so (minus a few hours of probably much needed sleep).  I much prefer some of the nuisances of the television show, and definitely prefer the characters as they are portrayed on the television show better than they are portrayed in print - which is ABSOLUTELY something that is unheard of coming from me. 

I do like the characters, don't get me wrong, I just prefer the versions of the characters from the -television- show rather than those exposed in print. Lynch me if you must! 

Bibliophile's Wish List 12.10.13

Welcome to the newest edition of Bibliophile's Wish List! The three books featured this week are out the tenth or later of the month. Enjoy!

This one, drew me because I like thrillers and the idea of the story being told is one that drew me and I have a feeling this one will suck me in entirely! So, hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on it sometime soon! This one releases 12.10.13 and is available in multiple formats.

Maeve Conlon's efforts to keep her forgetful father out of jail might finally reveal her deepest, darkest secret in this searing breakout novel from Maggie BarbieriMaeve Conlon's life is coming apart at the seams. Her bakery is barely making ends meet, and one of her daughters spends as much time grounded as the other does studying. Her ex-husband has a new wife, a new baby, and a look of pity for Maeve that's absolutely infuriating. Her father insists he's still independent, but he's slowly and obviously succumbing to Alzheimer's. And now, her cousin Sean Donovan has been found dead, sitting in his car in a public park, shot through the head.
There was never much love lost between Maeve and Sean and she's not exactly devastated by his death, but suddenly the police are poking around asking the family questions. It's just one more hassle Maeve doesn't have time for, until she realizes that her father, whose memory and judgment are unreliable at best, is a suspect in the murder. Maeve is determine to clear his name, but is she prepared to cope with the dark memories and long-hidden secrets that doing so might dredge up?
In a dramatic departure from her Murder 101 series, Maggie Barbieri will mesmerize readers with this gripping novel about family, justice, and the choices we make that define who we are.

Historical romance, one of my favorite genres (so long as it is done right and actually keeps well to what's in the time period).  This story, however, I think I will enjoy reading and sinking my teeth into.  Mainly because I LOVE the name of one of the daughter's Elspeth, is one of my favorite historical names. Also, this one is the first in a four book series, so we will see how things go!

On a bitter December day in 1785, Silas Ballantyne arrives at the door of master blacksmith Liege Lee in York, Pennsylvania. Just months from becoming a master blacksmith himself, Silas is determined to finish his apprenticeship and move west. But Liege soon discovers that Silas is a prodigious worker and craftsman and endeavors to keep him in Lancaster. Silas becomes interested in both of Liege's daughters, the gentle and faith-filled Eden and the clever and high-spirited Elspeth. When he chooses one, will the other's jealousy destroy their love?In this sweeping family saga set in western Pennsylvania, one man's choices in love and work, in friends and enemies, set the stage for generations to come. Love's Reckoning is the first entry in The Ballantyne Legacy, a rich, multi-layered historical quartet from talented writer Laura Frantz, beginning in the late 1700s and following the Ballantyne family through the end of the Civil War.

This one, the cover first caught my attention and then I read the blurb below, and it made want to try and get my hands on a copy of this book.  The look into America's criminal justice system seems interesting, and I'm curious to know what sort of skeletons are rattled in Penelope's family's closet.

This highly thought-provoking, sometimes amusing and always life-affirming novel illustrates one family's experiences with America's criminal justice system. As Penelope searches for the truth about her father, she rattles the skeletons in her family's closet and shakes up the complacency of her community, which has tried to sweep the past under the rug. With both perception and compassion, the author creates a colorful cast of characters while challenging the wisdom of imprisoning the mentally ill.On the cusp of adulthood, Penelope begins to understand that she has grown-up in a web of silence. The denial in her family and small Minnesota hometown is so thick that she does not know how to cut through it, that is, until she begins a seemingly innocuous pen-pal correspondence with someone in another town. Little by little, Penelope unravels the secrets meant to protect her from the truth. She proves herself to be stronger and wiser than anyone could have predicted and leads the way to healing.
In the lives and interactions of the major characters in this story explores the sprawling psychological geography of America's criminal justice system and its profound effect on everyone it touches, even its most ardent proponents. While dealing with a serious, challenging subject, this book is also filled with warmth and likeable characters. The odyssey of Penelope concludes on a faith-affirming note with a parade of surprising revelations.