Book Reviews - The Toot Fairy by Mark Huffman and Cheesemaker Durdsden by Mark Huffman + Giveaways!

 

 

About The Books:

Title: THE TOOT FAIRY

Author: Mark Huffman, Dawn Davidson (Illustrator)

Pub. Date: February 9, 2021

Publisher:  Brown Books Kids

Pages: 32

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

 'A good giggle. In this day and age, it's fun to read something so...'refreshing'!''

- Craig Smith, Award-Winning International Bestselling Author of The Wonky Donkey

''Sorry, Walter the Farting Dog. I think it's fair to say that this is probably the best picture book about toots I've ever read. Take my advice and put away your scruples. You shouldn't turn up your nose at this.''

- Betsy Bird, A Fuse #8 Production, School Library Journal

''Wish I had thought of it first!''

- Adam Rex, Author/Illustrator of On Account of the Gum

When it's time for Jessa the fairy to proclaim what kind of fairy she wants to be, she accidentally says ''toot'' instead of ''tooth!'' Now she'll be in charge of finding all the toots from all the bottoms in the world. This is not exactly what she had in mind..

My Thoughts -

Jessa is a fairy and she is excited that she will get to choose what type of fairy she wants to be. However, she was so nervous she said "toot" instead of "tooth!" Now Jessa is tasked to finding all the toots from the bottoms of people all around the world.

The book was a fun and cute read. It was colorful and had a cute message. Little kids will love the humor while parents can appreciate the message, sometimes things don't work as planned but, you can make the best out of a situation.

 

Title: CHEESEMAKER DURDSDEN

Author: Mark Huffman, Dawn Davidson (Illustrator)

Pub. Date: May 4, 2021

Publisher:  Brown Books Pub Group

Pages: 32

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org

 

Cheesemaker Durdsden could hardly be called a cheesemaker, with how bland, rubbery, and flavorless his cheese tasted. And so, in order to better his skills and silence the critics, he went in search of any and every cheesemaking technique he could learn. That way, he could make cheese to be envied by every cheesemaker, and savored by every cheese enthusiast. Now he's back with new skills, and some suspiciously delicious--deliciously suspicious--cheese to prove it. How could a man with such boring cheese before now make this tasty cheesy treat? You'll never guess what fabled creature holds the secret to Cheesemaker Durdsden's sudden success!

My Thoughts - 

Cheese-maker Durdsden isn't known for his cheese. His cheese is bland, flavorless, and has the consistency of rubber. He decides to go on a journey to improve his technique. He hopes to become the envy of every cheese-maker and taster.  Durdsden has returned with a new cheese that is delicious and everyone wants a piece of. The townspeople are suspicious because he was known to having yucky cheese before and now he has the most delicious cheese.

I thought the book was a fun but, a gross read. The illustrations were beautiful but, I wish that the illustrations were a bit more diversified. I had a feeling I knew where the book was going but, it was still a fun reveal. Young readers will enjoy reading the story while, adults might lose their appetite for cheese.

 

About Mark:

Mark Huffman writes about our shared human experiences, which is a pretentious way to say that he writes about toots and bottoms and food. He prepared for writing children's books by spending much of his early life as an actual child. Unlike other children's authors he might name who have spuriously claimed the title, he is a real doctor. He lives with his family in Texas.

Website | Twitter |Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 

 

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive a finished copy of THE TOOT FAIRY & CHEESEMAKER DURDSDEN, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

4/26/2021	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review
4/27/2021	Lisa-Queen of Random	Guest Post
4/28/2021	Jazzy Book Reviews	Review
4/29/2021	A Dream Within A Dream	Guest Post
4/30/2021	Two Points of interest	Review
5/1/2021	LittleRed Reads	Review

Week Two:

5/2/2021	@bookshelfmomma	Review
5/3/2021	The Adventures of a Travelers WIfe	Review
5/4/2021	pick a good book	Review
5/5/2021	michellemengsbookblog	Review
5/6/2021	The Momma Spot	Review
5/7/2021	BookHounds Ya	Review
5/8/2021	Nighttime Reading Center	Review

Week Three:

5/9/2021	I'm Shelfish	Review
5/10/2021	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt
5/11/2021	Jaime's World	Excerpt
5/12/2021	cindysloveofbooks	Review
5/13/2021	booksaremagictoo	Review
5/14/2021	Do You Dog-ear?	Review
5/15/2021	Nerdophiles	Review

Week Four:

5/16/2021	Jillpiscitello	Spotlight
5/17/2021	celiamcmahonreads	Review
5/18/2021	My Fictional Oasis	Review
5/19/2021	Geauxgetlit	Review
5/20/2021	Books and Zebras @jypsylynn	Review
5/21/2021	Book-Keeping	Review

Book Review - The Pocket Wife by Susan H. Crawford

 

Dana Catrell is shocked when her neighbor, Celia, has been horrifically murdered. Dana was the last person to see Celia alive. Dana suffers from mania because of her bipolar disorder. She has holes in her  memory and she has trouble remembering what happened during the afternoon of Celia's death. She is afraid that she might have played a role in her demise.

Dana tries to search for answers but, her husband is acting odd and the detective on the case is suspicious of her. As she dwells deeper into the day, she finds herself coming apart at the seams.  She questions if she could be the murderer or is someone else lurking in the shadows?

I thought the book had an interesting premise but, I had a hard time getting into the novel. I read more than half of the novel and decided this wasn't the book for me. I didn't care for any of the characters or the plot because it was dreadfully boring. Definitely glad that I borrowed this book from the library instead of purchasing.

May 2021 Empties!

 

 

 

May? Is that you? I thought it was just April. The year has gone by with the blink of an eye. I feel like the month goes by fast when you least expect it. I managed to finish quite a few things this month and hopefully, I finish more things next month...cause I bought over 400 new things this month already....

I liked the Elemis Superfood Cica serum. It went on smoothly but, it was a bit tacky. It felt nice against my skin during the warmer days. I liked the Evolue super oil but, I am not sure if it did much. It had a bit of a greasy feeling on my fingertips.

I heard good things about Micellar water and thought I would get on the bandwagon. I am not impressed with the Hello Fab makeup melter. It took several applications to remove my eye makeup and I had to follow up with additional cleanser.  I had a similar experience with the Pacifica makeup wipes. I had to put additional makeup remover on each wipe to remove my eye makeup.

Here is everything I finished this month -

Evolue Super Oil

Skinceuticals Phyto+ Correct

Akar Skin Pure Lip Restoration

Native Deodorant

Neogen Dermalogy Real Vita C Serum

Elemis Superfood Cica Calm Hydration Juice

Macadamia Healing Oil Spray

Sabon Anti-Aging Smoothing Night Cream

Cargo Cosmetics Lip Gloss - Vienna

Merci Handy Hand Cream

Hello Fab Coconut Micellar Makeup Melter

Fekkai Glossing Cream

Purenskin Natural Effect Real Oatmeal Mask

Facetory Woah That H20 Hydrating Mask

SpaLife Tell Your Blackheads to Stop Being So Nosy Mask

Avette Daily Fresh Squeeze

Ojena Moisture Essential Vita Mask Water Hydrating

MediHeal Warming Eye Mask

Bonvivant Botanical Mask Pack Sodium Hyaluronate + Lotus

Pacifica Purify Facial Cleansing Wipe

Bonvivant Botanical Mask Pack Chamomile + Tea Tree

MediHeal N.M.F Intensive Hydrating Mask

Jayjun Cosmetics Rose Blossom Mask

Niveola E.G.C 3D Festival Mask Pack

Book Review - Into Darkness (Stuffed, #2) by Liz Braswell + Giveaway

 

This year Clark can't wait to go back to camp. This time he has friends to hang out with. His friends from last year will be there again. Clark will finally be initiated into their exclusive camp club. The club and its members are the only ones who knows everything about Monsters and Stuffies. Clark brings his Stuffy, Foon, who Clark suspects had saved his father from a monster.

When Clark and his friends get to camp, they realize something is off. They find strange things and gooey substances are all over their bunks. The adults at the camp are all acting weird and their Stuffies go missing when they need them most. On a camping trip, they friends become trapped in a creepy old cabin. They soon realize that the Monsters are out for revenge against Foon and will stop at nothing to get it.

I thought this was going to be a fun read because the cover looked cute. I liked that the book included instructions on how to create your own Stuffy. I didn't realize this book was a continuation of the first book. While they attempted to give a brief summary, I felt like there was a few nuances that I missed. However, I actually didn't finish reading the book because I felt the book was to very boring. The writing style was clinical and felt dull. Typically, when I read YA/Children books, the book is filled with jokes that are aimed to keep young readers entertained. This book felt like punishment to read and I lost interest one third of the way in. 

 **Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.**

 

 

About The Book:

Title: INTO DARKNESS (Stuffed #2)

Author: Liz Braswell

Pub. Date: May 4, 2021

Publisher:  Disney-Hyperion

Pages: 315

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

From New York Times Bestselling Author Liz Braswell, comes the second novel in the STUFFED series! Set at summer camp, Foon’s boy, Clark, is kidnapped by an evil monster bent on revenge and Foon must enter the Darkness in order to save him.

No Stuffy has ever gone into the Darkness and returned....

Clark can’t wait to go away to camp this year. For the first time ever, he has actual friends to hang out with. Catherine-Lucille and D. A. will both be at Camp I Can with Clark, and C. L. has already promised to induct him into her exclusive camp club—the one for campers who know everything there is to know about the world of Monsters and how Stuffies protect kids from them. And now that he knows (or suspects . . . very strongly) that his grandma-made Stuffy, Foon, heroically saved his own father from a horrible fate, Clark is obviously bringing Foon to camp along with him.

But once Clark gets to camp, he and his friends discover things are off. There are strange, gooey findings in some of the bunks, the adults are acting weird, and, worst of all, their Stuffies and dolls go missing right at the moment they need them the most—when they go on the intersession camping trip and end up trapped in a creepy old cabin. What Clark and his friends don’t know, and what the mighty Foon soon discovers, is that the Monsters have launched a revenge campaign against Foon—a campaign that entails sucking the very life out of Clark. Now it’s up to Foon to enter the World of Darkness and take on the Monster in charge in order to stop the plot and save Clark’s life. 

In the long tradition of Stuffies vs. Monsters, this one’s a battle for the ages—one that will certainly go down in Stuffy history.

PRAISE FOR STUFFED:

“A warm and engaging tale” – Kirkus Reviews

 Grab Book 1, STUFFED Now!

 

About Liz:

Liz Braswell spent her childhood reading fairy tales, catching frogs, and going on adventures in the woods with her stuffed animals. She has a degree in Egyptology from Brown University (and yes, she can write your name in hieroglyphs). After making video games for ten years Liz now writes full-time and plays video games for fun. She has written Snow, Rx, The Nine Lives of Chloe King, and several books in the best-selling Twisted Tale series, including Part of Your World and As Old as Time. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, two children, a cat, a part-time dog, three fish, and five coffee trees, and still sleeps with a Stuffy.  You can email her at me@lizbraswell.com or find her on Instagram and Twitter @LizBraswell.

Website | Twitter |Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr | Goodreads | Amazon

 

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of INTO DARKNESS (Stuffed #2). US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

4/26/2021	Kait Plus Books	Review
4/26/2021	PopTheButterfly	Review
4/27/2021	Nerdophiles	Review
4/27/2021	booksaremagictoo	Review
4/28/2021	The Momma Spot	Review
4/28/2021	BookHounds Ya	Review
4/29/2021	For the Love of KidLit	Interview
4/29/2021	fictitious.fox	Review
4/30/2021	Moonlight Rendezvous	Review
4/30/2021	I'm Shelfish	Review

Week Two:

5/3/2021	Midnightbooklover	Review
5/3/2021	Two Points of interest	Review
5/4/2021	Books a Plenty Book Reviews	Review
5/4/2021	Eli to the nth	Review
5/5/2021	The Book Nut : A Book Lovers Guide	Review
5/5/2021	Little Red Reads	Review
5/6/2021	Lifestyle of Me	Review
5/6/2021	Celiamcmahonreads	Review
5/7/2021	michellemengsbookblog	Review
5/7/2021	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt