TBR Pile #7: Who in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

*This review can also be found on my Goodreads account.

Adventure, capers, and crime. Even though this is a relatively short book, it was packed full of these three things! And as skeptical as I was at first about reading this, I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed it.

I will be the first to admit that even though I grew up at the time when Carmen Sandiego was first making her appearance in our world, I didn't have any interest in following her exploits or trying to find her. I had other interests as I entered middle and high school, but I was aware of the Carmen Sandiego phenomenon. So receiving this book for Christmas one year had me slightly puzzled and I just shrugged and stuck it on my TBR Pile to read at a later date.

Now, two years later, I'm finally getting around to it and kind of regret I waited so long to see what the hype was all about! This book actually is Carmen's origin story and explains where she's from and how she was raised to believe that stealing was a good thing, a fun and exciting game that she wanted to be the best at. And it was hard not to be fondly amused at her antics to be the best little thief in the world, but it was also kind of sad that she was doing it as a way to be close to her quirky 'family' of master thieves.

As the story progresses, it's revealed how she manages to escape (the first time) the island she's called home her entire life, only to learn what her 'family' is really all about. And that lesson is a hard one for her to swallow. But, after being retrieved and taken back to the island, she realizes what she needs to do and, with the help of a voice on the other end of a stolen cell phone that goes by the name of Player, she slowly discovers that she actually can put her criminal talents to good use.

It's a thrill-seeking, fast-paced novel that kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. The only reason I didn't rate it higher (and the reason is more personal than anything to do with the storyline) is that it is written at a more basic reading level. The book is really meant for a younger audience of readers, but is definitely a fun read for adults as well. I just believe that most young readers would not have had any trouble if it had been written at a bit higher level. But this is just a personal opinion and by no means should detract from anyone wanting to read this book!

In all, a great, fun, and thrilling read for any age. I know this is now a Netflix series and after reading this book, I'll definitely have to check it out! So, whether you were a Carmen Sandiego fan when you were a kid, never followed her, or are just discovering her, this is a great book to check out if you're even the least bit curious!

Review: Gardening for Beginners

*This review can also be found on my Goodreads account.
**This is not part of my TBR Pile as I got it for Christmas!

A great introduction for beginners who want to learn how to garden but don't know exactly what they want to grow. It gives overviews of what you need, how to prepare the site (whether in ground, raised beds, or containers), and provides some really good links to resources for further exploration/information gathering depending on what you want to learn more about.

There were also some sections that talked about the multiple uses of both flowers and vegetables. Everything from medicinal to color dyes and paints was covered. Again, briefly as the book's not that big. But it was enough to get the imagination stirring as to what all these plants can be used for. And there were some great links to further explore about these ideas as well.

The only negatives I have for this book, and they are minor but they prevented me from giving it 5-stars, was that all of the images in the book were black and white. And gardens of any variety are in color, so it made it hard to even distinguish what they were trying to show. The images were grainy as well as being black and white, so I feel the book would have been better off without them or using colored imagery. Also, the charts and tables used were in a grainy black and white and were reduced in size to fit the page. So, unless you have amazing eyesight or a magnifying glass, you're not going to be able to read the information in the charts.

In all, a good beginners guide and one I'll be referencing in the future depending on what I decide to grow and how I want to use it.

TBR Pile #5: New Mexico Book of the Undead: Goblin & Ghoul Folklore

*This review can also be found on my Goodreads account.

Folklore, myths, legends... there are so many out there, some seen in multiple cultures and some unique to one particular culture. This book focuses on New Mexico and the Spaniards that settled there in the sixteenth century up until today.

Everything from La Llorona to Bloody Mary is explored in this story collection. And I liked how the author wove Spanish and English throughout, providing some verses in Spanish before giving the English translation. There is also a nice mix of New Mexico history provided to give a backdrop to the stories and superstitions.

The only negative is I would have liked a little more historical/cultural background for some of the stories in this book. He did that well with some and not with others. And the layout was a little confusing, but not enough to deter from the individual stories.

Overall, a great introduction to New Mexico and Spanish folklore. If you're looking for something more detailed, this isn't it. But this book gives enough to whet the appetite to do more research on particular stories that intrigue the reader most.

TBR Pile #4: Curiouser and Curiouser

*This review can also be found on my Goodreads' account.

Teapots, flamingos, whimsy, and chaos... it's all in this book that is a kind of retelling of the classic Alice in Wonderland but with many differences that assist in making it it's own story. All of the beloved characters make an appearance in some form or fashion and Alice is recreated to be a strong heroine that is intelligent and resourceful, but makes mistakes.

This is a story of adventure, love lost, hope, redemption, love found, and of course, madness. And it's backdrop is that of steampunk London. I loved that the elements of steampunk were woven throughout without being the focal point. And the wonderland that was created was just as whimsical as the original telling yet given many realism's that made me feel as if I could step right into that world and feel at home.

The only reason I wasn't able to give this a full 5-star treatment was the style of writing this story was told in. It was too jarring for me and actually detracted from the flow of the narrative. This might turn some people off and others may not have a problem with it. But I believe I would have enjoyed this even more if the flow of narration had been a lot smoother.

Overall, a great book for fans of the classic as there are a lot of nods to the Lewis Carroll original (including a lot of head rolling thanks to the villainous Queen ;)). But it's also a great read for those that love a good steampunk setting and a bit of whimsy in their fantasy worlds!