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Night of Nonsense (The Magic Magnifying Glass #3)
Night of Nonsense (The Magic Magnifying Glass #3)
Wendy Ann Mattox | 2021 | Children
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The third book in this series of Magic Magnifying Glass is called "Night of Nonsense." It seems like we will meet two more creatures of the night. We meet that Fin has got a new baby sister. Between this and now, his cousins come to visit. He shows off a unique present to these cousins. All because he got a new baby sister.

What adventures will Fin find himself in? He seems to need a few of these new forest friends; We seem to meet a Horned Owl and a Bat named Bella. We seem to run into Perry. What is Perry doing near the lake?

Does Fin seem to be pulled into a mystery of finding his cousin's diary? Will his cousin Dennis get blamed for the missing journal. While they are on the beach enjoying themselves. There seem to be mix-ups as Fin's mom is looking for his baby sister's diaper bag for either diapers or wet wipes. What happens to Jusinina's diary?

Dennis comes to Fin, and he gets pulled into solving the mystery of a missing diary and clearing this cousin Dennis's name. Will Fin be able to solve the mystery? This adventure started when Fin gets trapped in his sister's playpen and finds a pink ribbon. Does Fin seem to have to help his friend Elliott when they get into a bit of ruffle play with a fox? Will the fox be friendly or not. Fin and Elliott seem to meet a Horn Owl, and who is this horned owl, and will he be nice or not?

Children will learn about bats and owls, and foxes in this book. We met up with a few other forest friends. I love how these adventures are clean and educational for children to learn about nature and animal facts. This book takes you on an adventure with Fin during the night. You will meet a few night creatures and learn about them.

Parents can talk with the children and help them learn more about these lovely animals that come out at night. Maybe you can spend an evening outdoors with your child or children, and they can try and spot these night creatures or name them if they see them.

I can't wait to see the next adventure Fin and his friend Elliott get up to and what other friends Fin meets along the way.
  
Aftermath: Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich, 1945-1955
Aftermath: Life in the Fallout of the Third Reich, 1945-1955
Harald Jähner | 2021 | History & Politics
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is such an informative, interesting book about a period in German history that I know little about: 1945-1955. It shows that German cities were pretty much decimated by the end of the war, that ex-Nazi party members were forced to clean up the rubble and that most importantly, many Germans thought that they were hard done by, by the end of the war - their country in ruins, no industry and no food. But what’s most startling, is how quickly the German recovery was. Jähner states that this was in large part due to the return of the Germans who had been living in occupied countries.

The black market was also a huge earner for many German citizens: one teenager is described as having thousands of Marks worth of cigarettes in his house. Money was there to be made for the improvising, bold, German!

What probably resonated with me most, was the lot of the German woman. They had been expected to be the perfect German Female during National Socialism, then experienced a kind of social and sexual liberation after the end of the war. However, when their husbands and men returned from captivity (or just made their ways home), they found themselves being expected to revert to the stereotypical role of the housewife. But they wanted more. They wanted to continue in careers, they wanted equality, and they didn’t necessarily want to deal with broken, defeated husbands (as cruel as this may seem).

What really surprised me, was how was how former Nazi party members still worked in positions of influence, both politically and in industry - and this was the case in both East and West Germany. Even though the Allies made a point of ‘educating’ German citizens about the holocaust, National Socialists seemed to largely escape punishment and carried on with their lives. Their children may have had their doubts as to their parents innocence, and the real movement to ‘out’ the national guilt didn’t really get going until the 1960’s, but there was dissent in the 1950’s already.

I could go on. This is such an interesting book, and written so accessibly. It didn’t read at all like a dry history book, and the photos and posters from the time are well chosen and really add to the book as a whole. This isn’t just a history book for history buffs.
  
The Druid's Gift (The Nameless Gods #1)
The Druid's Gift (The Nameless Gods #1)
Dante Silva, Vanessa Mozes | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
very well written high fantasy
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

She was supposed to on a pilgrimage, being kidnapped for sacrifice was not in the plan!

I gotta be honest here, and you'll know when I gotta talk about my feelings about books, I'm nothing if not honest! When asked did I want to read this book, it came with a link, and of course I looked at it, and my first reaction was nope. That cover did nothing for me, but the blurb grabbed, so I said yes. NOW, I've read this book, and feel I should say this. That cover is right and proper for this book!! It fits Nune and Ty's story so perfectly! And it is a rather good book!

Nune is a day elf, a Druid, and Ty a night elf. They usually never cross paths. Nune is on a pilgrimage and Ty is on an initiation to move up the warrior ranks, I forget what the name he used is, sorry! Nune was supposed to be his sacrifice for this initiation, but after befriending each other, they question why Ty suddenly has to do this, when it's never been required of warriors before.

It is, quite simply, brilliantly written high fantasy. I really find myself engrossed in Nune and Ty, and their path towards finding out just what is going on in Ty's village, and why things are changing so rapidly, to the detriment of the day elves. It's told from both Nune and Ty's point of view. It does carry some difficult subjects, kidnap, elf sacrifice but these are dealt with very well.

Its not overly explicit, indeed, I thought it might actually come out clean, but Nune and Ty do get naughty on. Again, well written. Not overly graphic either, what's here is right for this book.

And there is a MUCH bigger picture that I'm still not seeing. Ty's brother is missing. There's the reason why the Nameless Gods are being summoned. And Ty still has to face his superiors about his failed quest when he gets home.

A step out of my comfort zone, but a very nice step. I hope I get to foloow Nune and Ty on their quest.

And an apology to the author for not spelling Nune with accent on the e, I don't know how to put that on!

4 solid stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
40x40

Jamie (131 KP) rated Shimmer and Burn in Books

Jul 30, 2017  
Shimmer and Burn
Shimmer and Burn
Mary Taranta | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Unique magic concept (2 more)
Fast paced and engaging story
Dreamy male lead
Bland main character (1 more)
Details about the world and magic is mildly confusing
Threading blood magic in a dying world
Shimmer and Burn was much much darker than I expected and I LOVED it. A locked away kingdom ruled by a ruthless king, forbidden blood magic that is both beautiful and deadly, a power hungry princess, a dying world infested with diseased cannibals–this book had it all. That is, except for the main character, Faris.

This book was almost perfect for me, but I just wish that Faris wasn’t so bland. The book is carried by an extremely strong plot and well developed side characters but.. well the story just sort of happens to Faris. She is constantly made out to be a fighter but she ends up running or needing to be saved almost every time. She has one central motivation, her sister, and some heartbreak over Thaelan, but that’s really all her character really has going for her.

Thankfully the other characters help drive the plot forward. I’ve never been one to fawn over book boyfriends but that changed with North. I really like North and Faris together, even though their romance sort of shows up out of thin air in a mild case of instalove. I would expect characters to talk and have more interaction before they go falling “in love.” It’s not the worst thing in the world, I still liked the characters and their romance so I was willing to look past that.

My favorite part of the book is the absolutely incredible magic system which is unlike any other I’ve ever read. Magic is described as being beautiful like threads that can just as easily fray and destroy the magic wielder if not handled with care. It is treated as something alien, even for the humans with a natural born ability to wield it. I can’t overstate enough how much I love this concept. The intricate political relationships in this novel is also extremely well done and I’m so excited to read the next book.

A fair warning though, this book is definitely not for the faint of heart. While the romance may be clean, the violence definitely isn’t. This book isn’t the goriest I’ve ever read but it does not shy away from the gruesome details. If you can stomach the gritty content then I highly recommend this book, it’s one of the best YA books I’ve read in a while.