Posted on by Maureen

This House Is Haunted by John Boyne

I just finished reading This House Is Haunted by John Boyne. I found it on Amazon when I was browsing for books, and then requested it through the library network. I did not recognize the author at first, but then I later realized that he also wrote The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. He has written several other books for both children and adults.

I am not always a fan of ghost stories. I will admit to being a scaredy cat. But, I love 19th century England, so I gave this book a chance, and I’m glad I did. Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown

I just brought home Mr. Tiger Goes Wild from the library. This is our second time checking out this book. My girls love when I read it to them, and I have a particular love for it as well. I do think that when this book is released in paperback, we will be picking up our own copy.

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild is a picture book written and illustrated by Peter Brown. The titular Mr. Tiger lives in a drab city that would make Charles Dickens depressed. Everything in the city is grey, and all of the anthropomorphic animals are very proper. In one picture, we even see a horse scolding little animals by telling them not to act like wild animals! Read more

Posted on by Maureen · 1 Comment

Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl

I found Keeping the Castle at the library.  This Patrice Kindl novel was the featured YA book group pick of the month, and it looked interesting, so I grabbed a copy.  I have a fondness for the Regency period: from Jane Austen to Julia Quinn, there’s just something enchanting about early 19th century England.

Althea is seventeen years old, and has a heavy load to bear.  Her great grandfather spent the family fortune building a precarious castle on a cliff, and the family has been scraping by ever since.  The house has fallen into disrepair over the years, and if Althea does not marry well, there is no telling what will happen.  Read more

Posted on by Maureen

Here Comes The Easter Cat

As soon as I saw Here Comes The Easter Cat featured in an email from Amazon.com, I knew I had to track down a copy. I was able to request one through the library network, and it arrived a few days later.

Here Comes The Easter Cat has an interesting format: the narrator is conducting an interview with a churlish cat, and the reader gets a front row seat to the show. At first, the cat is dismissive of the Easter Bunny’s efforts, and decides that he can do better than that old bunny. Cat gets himself a motorcycle so that he can go faster than the Easter Bunny, and he gets himself a sparkly suit (to outshine the Easter Bunny’s fine vest). Cat is determined to upstage the Easter Bunny, but when the Bunny arrives, what will happen? Will there be an epic showdown or will we see Cat’s empathetic side?

The illustrations are charming. They are relatively simple sketches, but what makes them truly interesting is the presentation. Cat doesn’t talk, so when he has something to say, he holds up a signboard with a picture on it. My girls quickly got the joke when Cat makes a face and holds up a signboard with hearts on it in response to the question, “The Easter Bunny? What about him?”

My girls loved this book, and their love for this book grows with every reading. Bex and Snickers cackle so much that Alligator yells at them for laughing too loudly and making too much noise.

We have to return this book to the library in a couple of weeks, and I think we are going to have to get our own copy. If you’d like to get a copy, please follow this link.

Here Comes the Easter Cat

Posted on by Maureen

Starting Over

My name is Maureen, and I just got out of a 14 year relationship.

I started writing for Epinions.com in May 2000.  I was in college, and I stumbled upon a review writing site that would pay pennies per hit.  I started writing, and my goal was definitely focused on quantity rather than quality.  My early efforts were pretty abysmal, but I kept writing.  I found my first niche in the Books category, and then later, I found a second niche in Kids and Family after my children were born.  I wasn’t making a full time salary, but I enjoyed sharing my thoughts, and then being compensated for it.  I also enjoyed the company of the many people who also frequented the site.

Earlier this week, Epinions made a sudden announcement: the site was shutting down, effective immediately.  This came as a terrible shock, and I feel like I lost my job and that I got broken up with- all in the same day.  14 years is an insanely long time.  My reviews trace a path through the beginning years of adulthood.  It’s fascinating… or perhaps horrifying.

I’ve spent a few days moping, and now it’s time to pick myself up, and dust myself off.  I don’t have to stop sharing my thoughts on the things that interest me; I just have to find a new platform.

So, here we are.  My name is Maureen, and I have three children: a six year old and twin four year olds.  They are all girls.  No, we won’t be trying for a boy.  Knowing our luck, we’d be blessed with twin girls.  Again.  They are a handful, but I love them so much, and they have made my life complete.

I will be using this space to share the things that interest me.  We read a lot of books, and we play with a lot of games and toys.  After the girls go to bed, I love watching shows like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead.

So, stick around- there’s bound to be some exciting times ahead.