EFR REVIEWS

Pickles, Book 1 The story of a domesticated cat that decides to venture out into the great outdoors for a well deserved vacation. This tongue-in-cheek book is very fast paced and told through the lens of the cat, Pickles. A MUST read for all cat lovers and those that find all the nuances of animal behavior interesting and endearing. You will be quickly transported into their world and you may not want to return. ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ A stray cat is found hanging around a Kmart dumpster in Burbank, CA. He's taken to a local animal shelter, then later adopted. He wants his name to be Bruce because he thinks it'll make him seem tough... but his new humans decide to call him Pickles Pips. The reader follows Pickles and the experience of his first few days in his new home. Once acclimated, he becomes curious about activities outdoors. Pickles slips outside one day while his humans are out and while on his adventures meets a weathered tomcat by the name of Ding-A-...

The noted author and anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins has brought together a diverse collection of 24 poems in praise of cats. This favorite pet is first introduced as a small mischief-maker investigating its world. Later, we meet marmalade cats. Siamese cats, spotted cats, white cats, lame cats, the old Tom cat, and the "everlasting cat" -- "cunning, and old, and sleek as jam". Then there is the bird watcher and the bird catcher. There are cats in various poses --- stretching, yawning, sleeping --- and in various places --- on top of the piano, on the radiator, on the bedspread, or, typically cat-like, comfortably compressed in an old box.  An impressive array of poets have painted these pictures for us, among them T.S. Eliot, Carmen Bernos de Gasztold, Eleanor Farjeon, William Carlos Williams, May Swenson, Kay Starbird, James Kirkup, Myra Cohn Livingston, and Aileen Fisher. The animals themselves are brought to life by Linda Rochester, a cat owner herself,...

Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong… Amazon.com ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ Travel writer Laura "Lo" Blacklock is struggling with overwhelming anxiety since a strange man broke...

Today, in her home office, Beverly Varnado wears athletic shoes as she creates novels, blogs, and screenplays. But in her first act as a department store buyer, she strode New York’s Seventh  Avenue searching for the next fashion trend and wearing out an endless parade of high heels. Having recently surrendered her life to God, Beverly found the fashion district an unusual proving ground for her faith, but then she discovered fashionistas in the Bible who provided role models. In her garment industry adventures, Beverly dined at the city’s most iconic restaurants, became stuck in a maniacal elevator, and oh, my. . . who is that emerging from First Class? Each of Beverly’s sometimes-humorous stories carries a message of encouragement. In what could seem a spiritually devoid and superficial world, God made his presence known to Beverly using her circumstances to launch what became a lifetime in ministry. No matter where you find yourself vocation...

So I just came across this article regarding author Kathleen Hale now having a movie deal as the story of her stalking a book reviewer who left a negative review comes to the big screen. Way to reward disturbing behavior, Hollywood! But that's a whole other rant.  The true story behind this movie is what got my book reviewer blood boiling. If you haven't come across this story til now, I will link the full article HERE , but here's the gist of it: Kathleen Hale writes a book, publishes it. Reader reads it, decides to post a 1 star review on Goodreads. Hale doesn't take the criticism well, goes to great lengths to hunt down reviewer and leave passive aggressive gifts on their doorstep. Article closes with saying this reviewer is no longer active in the Goodreads community. Hale then releases book of essays inspired by this whole situation, which I guess is what became the inspiration for the movie.  I don't believe I've read or reviewed any of Kathle...

Pluviophiles, unite! I tried to upload this on the EFR YT channel but surprise, surprise. It got blocked. Hopefully it'll work here.... Intro / middle song clips from "Floating" by Ad Dios: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAuUx... End Song = "Rain" by Hata Motohiro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN5KZ... Garden of Words movie: https://smile.amazon.com/Garden-Words... Garden of Words book: https://smile.amazon.com/Garden-Words...

As she drives her mobile library van between villages of Ireland’s West Coast, Hanna Casey tries not to think about a lot of things. Like the sophisticated lifestyle she abandoned after finding her English barrister husband in bed with another woman. Or that she’s back in Lissbeg, the rural Irish town she walked away from in her teens, living in the back bedroom of her overbearing mother’s retirement bungalow. Or, worse yet, her nagging fear that, as the local librarian and a prominent figure in the community, her failed marriage and ignominious return have made her a focus of gossip. With her teenage daughter, Jazz, off traveling the world and her relationship with her own mother growing increasingly tense, Hanna is determined to reclaim her independence by restoring a derelict cottage left to her by her great-aunt. But when the threatened closure of the Lissbeg Library puts her personal plans in jeopardy, Hanna finds herself leading a battle to restore the heart and soul o...