Where I Belong
by Mary Downing Hahn
Publisher: Clarion Books
Pub. Date: September 2, 2014
ISBN: 978-0544230200
Pages: 240
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

One of the best children book authors is Mary Downing Hahn. The first book I read by her was Closed For The Season a couple of years ago. Now everytime I come across one of her older titles at a thrift store, I make sure to buy it.

Her newest book Where I Belong was published last spring and centers on Brendan Doyle, an unpopular young man who doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of his classmates. He is bullied everyday and he is treated poorly by his foster-mother and teachers.

Brendan distracts himself by hiding in books and takes many hobbies, including carving and drawing. He is basically a daydreamer looking for a way to escape his life. While walking in the woods, he comes across a man and he comes to conclusion that this man is the magical Green Man, the guardian spirit of the forest.

The Doll Graveyard
Hauntings Series
by Lois Ruby
Publisher: Scholastic
Pub. Date: June 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-0545617864
Pages: 256
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

I have always preferred reading printed novels over eBooks, which is probably one of the reasons why I had forgotten this children book was on my Kindle until I stumbled upon it last week.

The Doll Graveyard is written by Lois Ruby and centers on Shelby and Brian Tate, whom have just moved into the Cinder Creek house. This isn't just an ordinary house as the kids start to believe it is haunted. Strange cries can be heard throughout the night and objects suddenly move on their own.

All of this probably has something to do with the fact that there is a graveyard in their backyard. The oddest thing about the graves is that they are extremely tiny, as if the graves were meant for dolls.

Salsa Dance Workouts
Studio: DanceCrazy.com
Release Date: January 1, 2008
Retail: $39.99
ASIN: B000FP2T0Y
Running Time: 106 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

If you have been following my blog regularly for the last few months, then you have probably noticed that I have been reviewing several learn-to-dance type DVDs.

While the other DanceCrazy DVDs that I have tried out were strictly learn-to-dance for beginners, this workout is suppose to be a full-blown workout that is suppose to help you lose weight and get fit. Similar to other the dancing workouts, there is only one male and one female instructors that shows you step-by-step how to do each move. The workout features music from Benny Velarde y SuperCombo and Anthony Blea y su Charanga.

The Salsa Dance Workout is split into different sections with a 19 minute Stretching and Isolation warmup, Beginners Footwork: Salsa Basics (20 mins), Intermediate Footwork: Breakdown (30 mins), Intermediate Workout with Music (30 minutes) and a 7 minute bonus workout.

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth!

Do you ever get comments from authors when you have posted or tweeted your review?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

  

My Answer: 

I have had a few author stop by my blog during a book blog tour and they would thank me for the review or guest post that I had published. There have also been a few Christian writers that have stopped by my blog and left a comment on my reivew of one of their books. 

Doc McStuffins: Cuddle Me Lambie
Voice Cast: Kiara Muhammad, Lara Jill Miller, Robbie Rist
Jess Harnell, Loretta Devine, Jaydon Betts, Kimberly Brooks
Gary Anthony Williams
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: February 3, 2015
Retail: $19.99
ASIN: B00PM0SPLE
Running Time: 120 minutes
Rating: TV-Y
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on DVD on Tuesday February 3, 2015 is Doc McStuffins: Cuddle Me Lambie, featuring 6 full episodes from the hit Disney Junior animated series. There are no extras or special features on the single-disc set. However, there is a free Lambie Hair Clips with each DVD purchase.

Doc McStuffins centers on an African-American girl named Dottie (Doc) McStuffins (voiced by Kiara Muhammad), who wants to be a Doctor just like her mother when she grows up. When she puts on her stethoscope, she imagines that her toys come to life and she acts as a doctor to these toys by giving them checkups and healing their wounds.

The series has received wonderful reviews from critics and has become one of the most popular shows on Disney Junior. The series is currently in it's third season.

The episodes on the single-disc are:

My Huggy Valentine / Dusty Bear - Doc receives a heart-shaped toy that she names Val. The other toys love spending time with Val, but Lambie becomes jealous. Later, Doc finds Donny's old stuff bear, Teddy B, and attempts to return the toy to him, but there is one problem - Donny is allergic to Teddy B.

I'm positive that almost every bookworm has one or two book lights around their nightstand. And most likely they probably either received it as a gift or they received it as a freebie when they had ordered a book. I have several of the these book lights on my nightstand. Some of them are very cheap made, but a few others are pretty decent.

Now available to own is the Mighty Bright is the Recharge LED Booklight. Yes, I said it is rechargeable!

I'm sure many of you have gotten a little upset when your booklight's batteries went dead and not all of us keeps extra AAA batteries on hand. The Mighty Bright Recharge LED Booklight has two bright LED lights. It has two different settings - Low and High. On Low the battery will last 16 hours and on High the battery will last 13 hours. The booklight comes with a Micro USB recharging cable, which you can attach to your laptop or desktop to recharge the booklight. The recharge time is only 1 hour!

The booklight comes in purple, teal, blue, white and black. The LED will last up to 100,000 hours, so basically you'll never have to replace it. It is made from durable Silicone and ABS plastic, so this way the neck of the light is flexible. It also features a sturdy clip that you can attach to the pages of your book.

Porco Rosso
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Voice Cast: Michael Keaton, Cary Elwes, Kimberly Williams-Pasiley, Susan Egan, David Ogden Stiers and Brad Garrett
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: February 3, 2015
Retail: $36.99
ASIN: B00PYAE2GE
Running Time: 93 minutes
Rating: PG
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on Tuesday February 3, 2015 is the 1992 Japanese animated film Porco Rosso. The film was directed by Hayao Miyazaki and features the American voice-cast of Michael Keaton, Cary Elwes, Kimberly Williams-Pasiley, Susan Egan, David Ogden Stiers and Brad Garrett. Bonus Features include Behind The Microphone, Original Japanese Storyboards, Original Japanese Trailers and an Interview With Toshio Suzuki.

Based on the a three-part watercolor manga,  Hikōtei Jidai, by Hayao Miyazaki, Porco Rosso centers on an Italian World War I ex-fighter pilot named Marco. After a curse was cast upon him that made him look like an anthropomorphic pig, he became a bouny hunter and took the name Porco Rosso (Red Pig).

He is known to help strangers who are need and that is exactly what he does when a band of pirates known as the Mamma Aiuto gang attack a ferry liner. Porco (voiced by Michael Keaton) uses his unique flying skills to put a stop to the pirates, well, for the time being anyway. Before long, Porco heads off on a mission in Milan, but is shot down by the gang's leader, Donald Curtis (voiced by Cary Elwes).