Book Review: Knit or Dye Trying (self-explanatory!!)

Knit or Dye Trying, by Allie Pleiter (Berkeley Prime Crime, $8.99, 304pp PB, 2022, book 2 of 3 [see the review of book one here) Review by Skye Anderson

Fast-paced Yet Slow at the Same Time. . . .

A long book that you only wish would be longer. . . . 

A book whose characters you really really like!

A book for knitting and mystery addicts!

Sisters are the stars of a small-town Maryland* coast festival called See More Than Seafood: one sister is a chef, the other dyes vegan (plant-based) yarns the loveliest of colors. The sisters argue, as they always have (for fun?), and now one sister is dead. 

Y.A.R.N.

Libby, fresh from a divorce, returns to her hometown and opens a knitting shop** with calming ambience, much like a cozy bookstore. Libby also organizes festivals and See More Than Seafood is one that she manages to bring in a famous yarn dyeing expert, one of the sisters mentioned above. 

Libby's mom wants to move in with her - a big mistake if it should happen for Libby's highschool flame is the mayor and they may have a thing for each other still.

The Cover

Covers give a clue to what's inside but here we have a dog in a chair looking out the window at spray-painted protest sheep looking in on their walk down main street. A shawl, some yarn and bottles of chemicals.

Murder, Suicide or a Threat Gone Wrong?

The guest of honor is dead. She was to give three workshops over the weekend. . . but, instead, she was invited to her death in the small town where the inn keeper knows the bakery guru whose best friend is the knitting entrepreneur who returns to date her hometown, highschool boyfriend who is now the mayor with a teen age daughter.

*"Our state has one of the largest sheep-and-wool festivals in the nation and you brought in someone sheep farmers hate." (a reference to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival)

**The shop's name, Y.A.R.N., stands for many things, depending on Libby's friends' and customers' mood: You're Absolutely Ready Now, or You'll Always Remember Nice, or Your Anger Rewards Nobody, or . . . . 

Book Review: I Deaf-initely Can, Rhett the Heeler (deaf dog and girl)(also in Spanish)

I Deaf-initely Can: Rhett the Heeler, by Karlie Waldrip (Karlie Waldrip, 2024, 29pp, ages 2-8, $16.99 PB) Reviewed by Skye Anderson

We LOVE this book. It's non-fiction but it needs an explanation. By looking at the cover, looking at the dog on the right, you might think, "What happened to him?" He is speckled and blue. But that is exactly how an Australian Cattle Dog looks, also known as a Blue Heeler or just Heeler. (Check him out in the photo on the last page of the book.) I think they are adorable.

As the story opens, and it's a real true story, we find a deaf Heeler in a dog shelter. He is a happy dog and one day a deaf girl comes to play with him but doesn't take him home. She does return a few days later though, and does take him home then.

Karlie the girl and Rhett the dog do everything together. They go everywhere together. Karlie is deaf, just like Rhett so they communicate using ASL (American Sign Language) - well, Karlie does, and Rhett learns to understand her signs.

But you don't have to be deaf to use ASL. One of my students uses it with her hearing dog! I teach hand signals in my dog training class but I could also teach ASL!

Karlie (and Rhett) loves to teach people about the fact that Rhett can do everything just like all of his furry four-legged friends - run, fetch, explore, swim. And so can Karlie.

We also love the illustrations by Lucy Rogers, also a deaf artist, and love Karlie's maroon T-shirt that says LOVE in ASL.

If you would like to try your hand at ASL, just look at the inside covers and copy the hand signals in three places in the book. Then, go teach your own dog!

We Deaf-initely Can! Let the Adventures Begin! is book two in the series. I can't wait to read it.

Book Review: Uncle Yossi's Grand Story Collection: A Treasury of Classic Jewish Tales for All Ages (OT)

Uncle Yossi's Grand Story Collection: A Treasury of Classic Jewish Tales for All Ages, by Yosef Goldstein (Jewish Learning Group, 2024, $29.95, 440pp, all ages) Review by Skye Anderson

About the Book

Look at that cover! And it's embossed, too. 

The title is right on! This is indeed a "grand story collection" of tales from Jewish history and culture. The book itself is the size of a Bible and the tales come from the Talmud, the Torah, the Midrash and Jewish lore.

About the Storyteller

Author Rabbi Yosef Goldstein, Uncle Yossi, lived to be 85 (1927-2013) and was well-known for 50 years for his teachings and stories on tape and on radio. His stories appealed to all and many ended with an explanation or discussion of universal truths, morals and ethics.

This collection of tales, both contemporary and traditional, collected by one of the Rabbi's ten sons, Zalman, will last a lifetime. The hardcopy version even has an attached ribbon to hold your place as you zip around from story to story. Many stories are suspenseful and will keep you wanting to read the next one, and the next one.

About a Story

One grand story is about King Solomon - a story that perhaps may be new to you, about an old woman who baked three loaves of bread. She gave two to beggars who knocked on her door (the woman "hosted guests" and "gave charity") and the third one just blew away. It turned out that loaf of bread plugged a hole in the boat of a wealthy man who prayed to God to quell the storm and he would give away half his wealth. I won't reveal the ending but I'm sure you can guess. (p. 159)

Book Review: Jagger and Bode Have a Field Day (books, library, dogs save the day)

Jagger and Bode Have a Field Day, by L. Ellis (Miriam Laundry Publishing, 2024, 34pp, ages 6-8, $11.99) Review by Skye Anderson 

Wow, just look at that front cover full of dogs playing tug of war, playing pin the tail on the kitty, playing frisbee, playing roll the tire, having sack races, and our dogstars, Jagger and Bode, are featured in the middle, having a field day, as well as on the back cover with their human and in an actual photograph!

You can even color the front cover if you go to https://doodlebrotherspublishing.com/activities/ and print out* one of the coloring pages.

Jagger and Bode are brothers but Jagger is the 'elder.' By six months. They love storytime at school when they gather round the teacher and sit on the floor (just like you!) and listen to the teacher read them a book. Sometimes it takes more than one day to get through a long book and that is just what happened with Biscuit and Bone - but a storm came up and flooded the school library ruining all the books, even the one the class was in the middle of!

Oh, no! What to do? The students want to know what happens in their story!

Suddenly, Jagger has an idea! "Let's raise money to buy new books by having a field day with lots of games!"

And so the story goes on with the planning and marketing of field day. Will the class raise enough money to buy their favorite books?

*Jagger and Bode are mini goldendoodles who want you to learn about how to act around dogs so they included pages in both their book and on their website - some do's and don't's. They even include how to act around service dogs. And the reader can try to guess the dog breeds.

What would I change?

I wouldn't refer to the vet as the "dreaded vet" but maybe the "friendly vet."

Book Review: Summer's Song, A Day in the Life of a Child (by the older girl in a family, full of activity)

Summer's Song, A Day in the Life of a Child, by Charlotte Rouse (Fancy Feather Press, ages 5-8, 2024, $24.99HB, 52pp) Reviewed by Skye Anderson

Family is Everything

Oh, to relive a summer's day from your childhood days gone by! Author Charlotte Rouse shares one such summer day with us "old folks" and gives the youngsters ideas of what to do with their siblings on a long hot summer day in the country. 

Perhaps you liked to ride bikes, play in the sandbox, slurp some watermelon, lie on your back in the grass and make up stories about the cloud shapes in the sky. Eat an indoor picnic lunch, pick blackberries that stain your shirt, catch tadpoles, make a dandelion necklace, trap fireflies - and let them go again - all before a bedtime story.

Rouse has created a big book, a bit long so we suggest you read half of it before afternoon naptime and the rest, right before bedtime. Written from the point of view of the older daughter (in the pink dress), Summer's Song is a book about a time gone by - and, of course, the family has both a dog and a cat!

Savor the sounds, the incomplete sentences that are just perfect. the memories dug up playing with the neighbor kids. . . . 

Bonus: a free comprehensive reading guide is available on the author's webpage - https://www.charlottetinsleyrouse.com/books

Book Review: Brandon Sets Sail - A Story about Sharing Success (OT)(chiildren's treasure hunt)

Brandon Sets Sail - A Story about Sharing Success, by Elton and Brandon Dean (Big Paw Publishing, 36pp, ages 4-8, 2024, $14.99 PB) Reviewed by Skye Anderson

Success is More Fun When Shared

Young Brandon sets sail with his crew, a couple of treasure-hunting buddies, to follow a treasure map indicating where a treasure is buried. Along the way he, Captain Brandon, learns how to get what he wants by being nice to his friends, a parrot, and an octopus. When we help others, they, in turn help us. 

When our intrepid heroes reach the last X on the map, they are temporarily stumped (again) until they work together - and taking turns can be considered helping others. And the surprising final sentence is worth all the treasure in the world!

Bonus

In this little book written y a 7-year-old and his dad, there are plenty of opportunities in Brandon Sets Sail to discuss the value of helping others, as well as never giving up.

With a page of Parody's Pirate Puns (Parody is the parrot) and a 'map' of their ship, the Goldhopper, with parts labelled, this book is a fun addition to your little one's little library.

Q: What's a pirate's favorite sandwich?

A: Peanut butter and jellyfish!

Book Review: Advice to 9th Graders - Stories, Poetry, Art and other Wisdom (OT)(an anthology)

Advice to 9th Graders - Stories, Poetry, Art and other Wisdom, by 118 young people (Out of the Woods Press, 2024, $21.95, 241pp, 14-18 years old and up) Review by Skye Anderson

Wisdom

The first year of high school is a turning point for many. Some look forward to it while others, later, reminisce about being a 9th grader. What if there was a roadmap for newly minted 9th graders to follow or at least refer to when needed? Advice to 9th Graders fits that bill. Written in prose mixed with poetry, letters, and other* means, by dreamers and rememberers, this book is one that can be highlighted. Pages can be dog-eared and read over and over again. 

"Somewhere between then and now. . . . " (p. 12)

Chemistry. . . . (p.26)

I hope you find an umbrella of a person to support you. . . Just remember that it is not only your first day

But others' too. (p. 29)

Freewrite to My Sobriety - This is Our Goodbye (p. 59)

Themes

Recurring themes are grades, be yourself, forgive yourself, join clubs and sports. And each chapter is preceded by a quote from a sometimes famous person: Lady Gaga, C S Lewis, Malala Yousafzai, Oprah, followed by artwork.

So fast, friends, emotions in motion, family, travel, finding oneself: it's all here.

Advice

Advice is a book to keep by your bedside, reading a few of your favorite pages each night, dog-eared though they may be.  There is advice herein for you, no matter what your age.

*including the front cover art, by a sophomore in high school

Book Review: Piper Learns to Serve (children's book, therapy dog)

Piper Learns to Serve, by Dave Osborn (Dave Osborn, 56pp, 2024, grades 2-12, $14.99) Review by Skye Anderson

Can you believe a hungry sickly homeless pup in south Texas can grow into a skilled dog caring for others, if given the right loving family? 

Enter Piper! 

One Ear Up, One Ear Down

Puppy Piper had one ear up and one ear down but with plenty of food, love and training, she turned into a miracle dog who helps others. For proof, see her Pet Partners therapy dog card* on page 47. Piper wrote the second part of her autobiography (after her one ear caught up with the other) to document her transition - she is not perfect, but nearly so and she and her human passed the certification tests to become a therapy dog team!

With short chapters and simple sentences plus photos of Piper, the young reader will soon love Piper, Piper's name and Piper's book and will understand the need for more therapy dogs to visit children in libraries, schools and hospitals, to visit college students during exam week, and to visit all people (even the doctors and nurses) in hospitals and nursing homes.

*note that the registration card is for a team not just for the dog. Each member of the team is trained - the person to work with only that dog and the dog to work with only that person, but a dog can be qualified to visit organizations with more than one individual (and vice versa).

Book Review: Say More: Consent Conversations for Teens (OT)

Say More: Consent Conversations for Teens, by Kitty Stryker (Thornapple Press, $19.95, 2024, 160pp, ages 11-18, grades 7-9) Review by Skye Anderson

Say more? Ah, consent conversations! And for teens or anyone who used to be a teen.

The term consent conversation may be new to adults but is probably in the vocabulary of teens today - difficult conversations or non-conversations about personal boundaries, be they of the sexual kind or just friendship/family kind.

Does a good friend monopolize the conversation? Does your mother rein you in too tightly? 

How do you approach these situations? Need help doing so? If so, this is the book for you.

Author Kitty Stryker is a friendly mentor who doesn't give answers but asks questions to help you arrive at your own answers and in a conversational way. She even uses four-letter words on occasion! 

 Is it Complicated?

Asking what we want/need, setting boundaries of yes and no, making mistakes, saving face and letting others save face, trusting ourselves to be brave and take chances of being misunderstood - all these are lessons to be learned on the way to adulthood and Say More can help.

The author even mentions CaptainAwkward.com: Advice and Commiseration. You don't have to be cruel to be cool and you don't need to be cool to be kind!

Also included are a glossary, tips, and a checklist of check-ins.

Book Review: The Fine Art of Camouflage (Air Force woman, Afghanistan)(OT)

The Fine Art of Camouflage, by Lauren Johnson (MilSpeak Foundation, 2023, 270pp, $18.95) Review by Skye Anderson

Once again is it premature to say The Fine Art of Camouflage just may be our Book of the Year!

A Seattle nurse and Army reservist is called up (for Desert Storm) for an indefinite length of time, leaving behind her family with three children. Fast forward nearly 20 years and we find her daughter, a public affairs officer in the Air Force deploying to Afghanistan (for Operation Enduring Freedom, OEF). This sets up the unusual story of a very close mother-daughter relationship that spans the entire US continent plus two wars in two countries, two different branches of military service, and two different jobs - yet, the similarities are woven together seamlessly as the author jumps from one time period to the other and back again.

Author Lauren Johnson has penned an exciting fast-paced memoir of her very close-knit family with a writing style reminiscent of Harper Lee's (To Kill a Mockingbird). I especially loved the final sentences in nearly every chapter - they keep you wanting to read the next chapter right away and several of them are surprises, showing the humanity of the author.

Set mainly in 2009, the same time as the battle of COP Keating (depicted in Red Platoon) and a couple of provinces* away, the reader can actually get a good glimpse of daily life on a base in active eastern Afghanistan on the border with Pakistan. Johnson's job also takes her outside the wire (off base) often to meet with Afghan dignitaries and to write about new schools and other construction projects funded by the United States, in the manner of Greg Mortenson (Three Cups of Tea).

Johnson survives emotionally with the help of her boyfriend "Chris" and her team of wonderful soldiers and airmen. She grows with confidence and increased job skills but we also experience, with her, some disillusionment with the mission. 

The book also brings into the story events happening in the US at the same time and how they affect our troops, and Johnson's experiences upon her redeployment: it is often more difficult to reacclimate to the US than it is to live in a foreign country.

The Fine Art of Camouflage would make an excellent book for your book club with its many avenues of discussion.

*next to the province of Khost where Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire in 2004. See Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer. And next to the province of Paktika where Bowe Bergdahl walked off his base during the time frame Johnson was deployed.