Baseball in April

Baseball in April and Other Stories

by Gary Soto

Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Short Stories

Synopsis: In this unique collection of short stories, the small events of daily life reveal big themes-love and friendship, youth and growing up, success and failure.  Calling on his own experiences of growing up in California's Central Valley, poet Gary Soto brings to life the joy and pain of young people everywhere.

The smart, tough, vulnerable kids in these stories are Latino, but their dreams and desires belong to all of us.

from the back of the book

Review: This book is made up of a collection of short stories about Latino kids in California.  The kids are mainly early teenagers which makes this book a hard one to figure out what is the appropriate age for the reader.  The reading level is not too complex but the characters are mature so I would recommend this book for junior high age kids.  None of the stories really grabbed me but as I've mentioned in other reviews, I'm not a fan of short stories.  The characters and language seemed a little dated which makes sense as this book is copyrighted in 1990.  I'm not sure that kids today would relate to the stories.  Some books are written in a way that make the book timeless but this one was not.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Salsa Stories

Salsa Stories

by Lulu Delacre

Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Synopsis: Salsa music blares from the stereo.  One by one, friends and family, who come from all around Latin America, arrive at Carmen Teresa's house to cook, dance, gossip, and play dominoes.  And the New Year's Day celebration begins...

When a neighbor gives Carmen Teresa a blank notebook as a holiday present, she doesn't know how she will fill it.   The guests all have ideas of what she should do with her book.  They decide she should fill it with stories about their childhoods.  And everyone has a story to tell.  But Carmen Teresa, who loves to cook, surprises everyone with how she will use her beautiful new present.

With energy, sensitivity, and warmth, Lulu Delacre introduces readers to a symphony of colorful characters whose stories dance through a year of Latin American holidays and customs.  And readers will also be treated to recipes for the irresistible foods that appear in each story.

from the book jacket

Review:  This book is tied together by the introduction and final chapter about Carmen Teresa and her family together at a party.  The stories that are in between are about her grandparents and a few other people.  Most of the stories are about their childhoods growing up in various countries.  Perhaps short stories are not my cup of tea or I'm not the target audience but I did not find these stories particularly captivating.  I wanted more out of most of the stories.

Rating: 3 stars

Christmas on Main Street

Christmas on Main Street

JoAnn Ross
Susan Donovan
Luann McLane
Alexis Morgan

Genre: Christmas Romance

Summary (from Goodreads): ‘Tis the season to fall in love in these four small towns.

In “Christmas in Shelter Bay,” New York Times bestselling author JoAnn Ross returns to Shelter Bay, where Kelli has long tried to keep her feelings for her friend Cole a secret. But when the local matchmakers conspire to send them to a secluded lakeside cabin, the two friends soon discover that a little love will keep them warm.

TV producer Nathaniel Ravelle knows the Bayberry Island mermaid legend is a joke— how could a statue grant a wish for true love? But when a Christmas Nor’easter lands him in close quarters with local Annie Parker, they see magic at work in matters of the heart in New York Times bestselling author Susan Donovan’s “A Seaside Christmas.”

In LuAnn McLane’s “Mistletoe on Main Street,” Clint isn’t sure how to rekindle his romance with high school sweetheart Ava—until his father bows out of playing Santa at the annual Cricket Creek holiday parade and Clint gets the chance to make this Christmas one to remember.

And in Alexis Morgan’s “The Christmas Gift”, business is booming at Bridey Roke’s pastry shop. Everyone in town stops in to sample her holiday treats. But in her spare moments, she’s perfecting a special recipe to charm the handsome new neighbor—who has his own surprise gift for her come Christmas Eve!

Review: An easy to read collection of cheerful Christmas romances, just right for reading in front of a roaring fire.  Each novella is set in an already existing storybook town, which can be a bit confusing if the reader has never read the other books in the series, but each novella did stand alone.  I particularly enjoyed Donovan's story set in the town with the crazy mermaid ladies - some very funny images!

Rating: 3 stars (for a romance)

The Christmas Cookie Collection

The Christmas Cookie Collection

Lori Wilde

Genre: Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): Four delightful novellas featuring characters from Lori Wilde's New York Times bestselling book The First Love Cookie Club. First published as e-originals, they are now available in one volume and in print for the first time

Review: Four easy to read short stories about couples finding love in Wilde's fictional town of Twilight, Texas.  I enjoyed the stories, but think that some of them would have been better if they had been longer and had more detail.  It felt like too much was crammed in a short story.

Rating: 3 stars

Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?

Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat?

Lisa Scottoline & Francesca Serritella

Genre: Memoir - Humor

Summary (from Goodreads): The unstoppable, irreverent mother-daughter team presents a new collection of funny stories and true confessions that every woman can relate to. From identity theft to the hazards of bicycling to college reunions and eating on the beach, Lisa and Francesca tackle the quirks, absurdities, and wonders of everyday life with wit and warmth. As Lisa says, "More and more, especially in the summertime when I'm sitting on the beach, I'm learning not to sweat it. To go back to the child that I used to be. To see myself through the loving eyes of my parents. To eat on the beach. And not to worry about whether every little thing makes me look fat. In fact, not to worry at all."


So put aside your worries and join Lisa and Francesca as they navigate their way through the crazy world we live in, laughing along the way.

Review: I would never have picked this book up, but it was recommended by the adult services librarian when I went to ask for a good book to read (after she had suggested about 30 that I had already read).  Each chapter is very short, I believe reprinted from a newspaper column that both women write for, written by either Lisa or Francesca.  I suppose I should have suspected this would be the case, given the title, but too many of the chapters dealt with food or body image for my liking - I had been hoping that the title was just designed to catch your eye, and that most of the book would be unrelated.  While I recognized myself in some of the articles, I didn't have much in common with the twenty-something woman with dating woes or the fifty-something twice-divorced woman with no love life and a dying mother.  And I didn't find very much of the book funny.  I guess I just am not the target audience for these writers.

Rating: 2 stars

Secret Histories: The Lost Files #4-6

I Am Number Four: Secret Histories: The Lost Files #4-6

(The Search for Sam, The Last Days of Lorien, and The Forgotten Ones)

by Pittacus Lore

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Short Stories

Synopsis:  You know our stories are true.

You know why we fight.

You must discover their secrets.

You must learn from our mistakes.

They are hiding, just like us.

They plan to destroy your planet.

They destroyed ours.

We cannot let this happen again.

from the back of the book

Review:  I like reading these back stories and interim stories about the characters that play a part in the novels.  "The Search for Sam" and "The Forgotten Ones" are both about Adam. He comes into play in the novels but we don't know that much about him from the novels, we find out most everything we need to know from the short stories written about it and they help piece his story together.  The "Last Days of Lorien" was a weaker story in my opinion than the other two.  It was about Sandor, Nine's cepan and didn't contain that much about what happened on Lorien nor did it make me like Sandor as much as I liked him from the novels.

Rating: 3.5 stars

The Legacies: The Lost Files #1-3

I Am Number Four: The Legacies: The Lost Files #1-3

(Six's Legacy, Nine's Legacy, The Fallen Legacies)

by Pittacus Lore

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Short Stories

Synopsis:  You know we're out there, living among you.

You know we're waiting for our day to come.

You have seen the power of our legacies.

You know this is why they hunt us.

You may think you know our stories.

You are wrong.

We each have our own story.

We know the time has come to share them with you.

from the back of the book

Review:  I was looking for another good dystopian fiction series to read aloud in the car as we were driving that both my husband and I would like as young adult dystopian fiction is a genre where our interests overlap.  I didn't realize when I picked this one up that it was not the first book in the series but yet 3 small novellas in one larger book.  There were times that we weren't sure of exactly what was meant by something and now that we've starting reading the first book (I Am Number Four) it would have made more sense because things are explained well in the first book.  As we started reading the first novella we realized it sound a bit like Endgame: The Calling.  Little did we know that Pittacus Lore is a group of authors that wrote these books and one of them is James Frey who also wrote Endgame.  There are definite similarities between the books.  Parts of this book took itself a little too seriously and we just had to roll our eyes.  The second novella was a little more teenage-romancy which made the book much more young adult.  Overall the novellas were entertaining and it made me want to read the first book in the series to see what is going to happen (we've already started it).  I have a feeling I'm in for the long haul because there are 7 books so far and lots of lost files or novellas and it is hard for me to stop before I know the conclusion of the storyline.

Rating: 3.5 stars

The Transfer

The Transfer: A Divergent Story

by Veronica Roth

Genre: Short Story/Young Adult Dystopian Fiction

Synopsis: More Four! Fans of the Divergent series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth will be thrilled by "The Transfer," the first of four new short stories told from Four’s perspective. Each brief story explores the world of the Divergent series through the eyes of the mysterious but charismatic Tobias Eaton, revealing previously unknown facets of his personality, backstory, and relationships.

From GoodReads

Review: This was an interesting quick read (think 15 minutes) that gave a little more background into Four and why he transferred into Dauntless.  We heard about his issues with his father in Divergent and Insurgent but this gives a first hand view of his father's cruelty.  This short story also gives a little bit of insight into Eric, one of the leaders of Dauntless who I really didn't like.  I was left wanting to read more about Four at the end of this short story and there are other short stories told from Four's perspective.  I read this story because my library had purchased the ebook of it and I was curious.  Don't go out of your way to get it.  It's interesting but not necessary for understanding more about the Divergent series.  I'm having a really hard time rating this because it was really just a chapter from a larger book.

Rating: 3 stars