Title:  The Deal of a Lifetime

Author:  Fredrik Backman

Genre: Fantasy / Short Story

Year Published: 2017

Number of Pages: 65 pages

Date Read: 12/9/2017

Publisher: Atria Books   

Source:  Purchased

Content Rating:  Ages 15+ (Themes of Death and Parental Abandonment)

“The only thing of value on Earth is time. One second will always be a second, there’s no negotiating with that.” 

Now, I have been hearing so many good things about Fredrik Backman’s works for a while, especially “A Man Called Ove” and “Bear Town.” Even though I haven’t read either book yet (do not worry, that day will come), I still managed to stumble upon one of his books called “The Deal of a Lifetime” and man, was I totally blown away by this book!

The story starts out with a father telling his son the story about how he met a little girl in the hospital, who has cancer and about how he had actually taken a life away from someone. Well, that is not the full story: it turns out that the father had a dark past where he abandoned his wife and son for a life of fame and fortune many years ago. But, when the father ended up in the hospital and he find out that the little girl who was in the hospital because of her cancer, might not live long enough to experience life, the father decides that he must do something to ensure that the little girl survives, even if it means sacrificing his own life!

Wow! This book is simply amazing for one short novella! Fredrik Backman has done an excellent job at writing this story as I was seriously hoping that the father in the story would find some way to help out the little girl who has cancer, while trying to appreciate the importance of life and family. I loved the fact that Fredrik Backman focused on developing the father character in the book as it shows that the father went from thoughtlessly abandoning his family to pursue a life of fame and fortune to trying to sacrifice his own happiness to ensure that the little girl survives and it made me really connect to his character throughout the story. Despite the fact that this novel is extremely short (only sixty-five pages long) Fredrik Backman did a great job at writing out a full story about a father’s journey to becoming a more selfless person and it felt like the story really fleshed out the father’s character.

The only problem I had with this book is that the narrative tends to get a bit confusing at times, especially with the fact that the father is telling the story, but he is also telling the story to his son. Because of this, the story tends jump from the father’s point of view to the son’s point of view at the drop of a hat and it could confuse some readers about what is really happening in the story.

Overall, “The Deal of a Lifetime” is a truly fantastic story about redemption and learning about the importance of family and happiness that fans of Fredrik Backman’s works will enjoy!

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

Genre:  Animals / Norway / Christmas / Folktale

Year Published: 2002

Year Read:  2010

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons   

Alright! Lately, I have been taking a break from reading folktales from around the world, but now I am trying to get back into reading more folktales from around the world! I just stumbled upon this little gem of a book called “Who’s That Knocking on Christmas Eve?” which is a children’s book by Jan Brett that takes place in Norway and it is about how a boy from Finnmark and a young girl named Kyri tried to ward off a pack of trolls from spoiling their Christmas dinner. “Who’s That Knocking on Christmas Eve?” is a truly brilliant book for children who love Norwegian folktales and lovable bears!

On Christmas Eve, a boy from Finn mark was trekking on a northern place on his way to Oslo to show off his ice bear to the townsfolk, when he spots a cozy hut that was occupied by a little girl named Kyri, whose father had gone out to stop a group of mischievous trolls from eating their Christmas dinner. The boy from Finn mark then arrives at the hut and asks Kyri to let him inside the house and they also let the ice bear sleep under the warm stove. Suddenly, the two kids hear a loud knocking at the door and they knew immediately that the trolls were trying to get inside the house to eat the delicious Christmas dinner.

Oh my goodness! I just really adored this book and not only because it has gorgeous illustrations and an exciting story, but it is also a folktale and I love folktales! Jan Brett has certainly done a wonderful job with both the writing and the illustrations of this book as they are beautiful and inventive in every way and they are much more gorgeous in this book than in her other books! I loved the way that she illustrates the boy from Finn mark with blonde hair and wears a stylish Norwegian outfit that has a blunt grey and gold tint color with red and blue lacings over it. I also loved the images of the trolls themselves as they have spiky blond hair, long noses and big lips which truly make them look extremely mischievous and I also loved the illustrations of the northern lights detailed at the top of the main illustrations as they have images of various characters from the book in blue and white colors and are shown as northern light looking characters overlooking the situation in the main illustrations. Jan Brett has also done an excellent job at writing this story as the characters are truly inventive to read about, even though I personally wished that the boy had an actual name like the girl instead of just being called “the boy from Finn mark.” I loved the fact that both boy from Finn mark and Kyri were both resourceful in trying to outsmart the trolls as the trolls were trying to steal their food, but the kids would out think them at every turn. The trolls were truly shown as raucous characters, just as the book said and you will easily find yourself sympathizing with Kyri’s predicament as the trolls were barging into Kyri’s home without her permission and that is enough to make anyone angry!

Overall, “Who’s That Knocking on Christmas Eve?” is a fantastic book for fans of Jan Brett’s work and who love reading Norwegian folktales. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

Genre:  Magic / Family / Christmas / Humor

Year Published:1975

Year Read:  1993

Publisher:   Puffin Books

I have read many books by Rosemary Wells ever since I was a child and this book is no exception! “Morris’s Disappearing Bag” is a children’s book by Rosemary Wells that is about a young bunny named Morris who had received a teddy bear that none of his siblings wanted to play with, but later on finds a mysterious package under the tree. “Morris’s Disappearing Bag” is a really cute book that children everywhere will definitely love!

Oh my goodness! This book has always been an adorable treat for me for many years! Rosemary Wells had done an excellent job at both illustrating and writing this cute story about sharing and what I really loved about Rosemary Wells’ writing is that it is cute and creative, especially during the part where Morris receives a gift that no other child could ever receive! I also enjoyed the theme of this story as it portrays the importance of sharing and I thought that it was really cute about the way that Morris shared his gift with his siblings after he receives the special gift. Rosemary Wells’ illustrations are extremely cute, especially of the images of Morris himself as being the youngest rabbit in the family, he is drawn with Christmas styled overalls that have hollies all over it and I loved the way that the rabbits all have round bodies and short little ears that really make them look extremely cute!

Probably the only con in this book is that Morris’s siblings seem to snub Morris because of his gift, even though Morris is too young to play with their toys. However, I think this situation is redeemed towards the end, but it would be great to see Morris’s siblings try to make an attempt at sharing with Morris so that way Morris would not feel left out.

Overall, “Morris’s Disappearing Bag” is a truly cute and great book for kids who love Christmas books and learning about how to share with siblings. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

Genre: Contemporary Romance


Year Published: 2010

Number of Pages: 326 pages

Date Read: 1/15/2015

Publisher:  Forever

Series: Lucky Harbor #1

Now I will admit that I had never read any of Jill Shalvis’ books before and it was just luck that I happened to stumble upon Jill Shalvis’ “Lucky Harbor” series, with the first book in the series being called “Simply Irresistible!” This book was truly one of a kind when it comes to contemporary romance and I had enjoyed it every second of the way!

Maddie Moore’s life was less than perfect since she had lost her job and her boyfriend all at once after having a particularly horrible day. So, when Maddie finds out that her mother Phoebe Traeger had left her and her two half-sisters Chloe and Tara an inheritance in the form of an inn, Maddie heads on over to Lucky Harbor and meets up with her two sisters, who she had not seen for years. Not only is Maddie trying to bond with her two sisters, but she also ends up meeting a mysterious and sexy man named Jax Cullen and she instantly falls in love with him. But unfortunately, due to her past with her abusive ex-boyfriend Alex, Maddie starts having trouble confessing her true feelings for Jax, while at the same time, Jax is trying to figure out a way to tell Maddie about his dark and troubled past.

Wow! For the first time in reading any of Jill Shalvis’ books, I have to say that this book truly blew me away! Jill Shalvis has done a beautiful job at writing a romance story about opening up yourself to your loved ones and trying to enjoy life any way you can. I really loved this message in this book because there were times in my own life where I would have a rough time trying to do what I really want in a situation and standing by that decision, no matter how everyone else feels about that decision and Maddie’s experience in trying to think for herself really connected with me throughout the story. Probably the best things about this book were the characters themselves as they were memorable and extremely relatable to anyone. I really enjoyed Maddie’s character as she is shown to be extremely determined to stay in Lucky Harbor, despite so many odds going up against her and I really loved the fact that she tries to get out of her shy demeanor and actually take control of her own life. I loved the relationship that Maddie shares with her two sisters Tara and Chloe, as they seem to have an extremely special bond between each other and it is rare that I read a romance novel that not only focuses on the romance of the lead characters, but also focuses on their siblings and shows the importance of sibling relationships. I also loved both Tara and Chloe as they were just as insecure as Maddie, but I loved the fact that they were willing to help out Maddie in staying in Lucky Harbor, even if they wanted to leave Lucky Harbor themselves and I really loved the humorous bantering between the three sisters as they make me giggle every time they tease each other about various things! But man, let us talk about the hero of this story and that is none other than Jax Cullen himself! I seriously love Jax as he is sexy and witty while also being caring and encouraging towards Maddie and I loved the way that Jax supported Maddie throughout the story and tried to help her stand up for herself. Also, the sexy scenes between Maddie and Jax are definitely worth reading over and over again (oh Jax, you wicked boy)!

Anyone who does not like strong language, this novel does contain some strong language, such as the constant use of the “s” word and dropping the “f” bombs. Anyone who might feel uncomfortable reading these words can skim over these words as they read this novel.

Overall, “Simply Irresistible” is truly one romance novel that you have to absolutely check out if you are into sisterly love and a hot hero who is willing to help out the main characters anyway he can!

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

Genre:  Christmas / Food / Fantasy / Family

Year Published: 1991

Year Read:  2009

Publisher: Rabbit Ears Books         

“A Gingerbread Christmas” is one of the holiday classics featured in the Rabbit Ears collection and is about how two living gingerbreads, both of royalty, try to save Christmas in Gloomsburg after the Mayor cancels it. Susan Saint James’ energetic narration along with Van Dyke Parks’ charming music and John Spiers’ illustrations, “A Gingerbread Christmas” is one holiday classic that will never be forgotten.

Susan Saint James’ narration is both energetic and creative at the same time as she uses a New York accent for Hank and possibly an Italian accent for Ginger and Spice, which brings charm to her narration and the story. Van Dyke Parks’ music is charming and beautiful as it sounds like something you would normally hear in many Christmas specials on TV. Van Dyke Parks uses an acoustic keyboard to make the music sound dramatic and cute, which is perfect for the story. John Spiers’ illustrations are cute and creative, especially of the image of the Prince and Princess of Gingerbread, as they look stout and cheerful. Even though the colors are a bit washed out, they still give a comfortable feel to the story.

“A Gingerbread Christmas” is a cute holiday classic about the importance of celebrating the true meaning of Christmas and also getting into the Christmas spirit, no matter how busy one may be. I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this story.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog