Brady Brady

Ever heard of Brady Brady? The kid so wrapped up in hockey that his family has to call his name twice to get his attention?

This is one of my most favourite kids' series. My youngest brother (Scottie Scottie; he's as hockey obsessed as Brady!) owns 7 of the 11 hockey-themed stories written by Mary Shaw and Illustrated by Chuck Temple.

These stories are bright and colourful, and are fun to read. Kids love them from my experience (I read them to a kindergarten class I was working with last year, and to a foster child I was recently providing support services for)! If you read the stories in order you are introduced to some of the main characters, and the storylines do sometimes build upon what was read in the earlier books.

Now that I see there four more books that my little brother doesn't own, I'll be on the hunt to complete his collection - even though he's getting a tad old for children's books, it's a nice collection to have. I've also noticed on the website that there's a baseball themed Brady Brady and a football themed one; so perhaps this is a new direction the author is going in. These books are great for little boys (the recommended ages are grades 1 -3, but children younger than 6 can enjoy them too), who love sports and as an added bonus for parents or educators: they have a positive message in them too!

You just can't go wrong with Brady Brady!

Where can they be found online?

Brady Brady Official Website

Amazon (Can.)

Amazon (U.S)

P.S. As is now a little more clear, this blog isn't just for novels; I'm going to review kids' books, non-fiction, anything I read and think I should share!

Agent Provocateur

Author: Faith Bleasdale

Publication Year: 2004

Synopsis:

Betty writes for Modern Woman magazine. Grace works for a detective agency that specializes in infidelity through "honey trapping"-- that is, tempting men whose wives hire her because they believe their husbands are unfaithful. When Betty's boss (Fiona) sends her on an assignment to profile Grace's unusual job the women clash. They seem to clash because they are incredibly similar -- that is, incredibly insecure, and bitchy.

Grace and Betty end up entering into a completely pointless bet that neither wants to do. They bet that Grace cannot trap Betty's perfect husband, Johnny. Betty's boss (Fiona) puts her up to it (after already enticing Grace to take part). Then Fiona regrets the bet. Then Fiona "has her reasons" for the bet. Then Fiona regrets the bet again. And at the same time Grace and Betty regret the bet. But they also feel they have to fight to win the bet. Then they regret it again... and.. CONFUSED ARE YOU? Me too.

Thoughts:

This book was pointless. Do not waste your time and money.

Okay, I'll elaborate...

I'd never read Faith Bleasdale before, but when I was perusing the reduced fiction at Chapters (my favourite way to buy books - I get them cheaper than at the used bookstore!), I thought I'd give her a shot. The cover of the book and the synopsis on the back sounded alright, so why not?

I'll now tell you why not.

Horrible, horrible, utter crap writing style.

Even Dawson's Creek had less pointless "character feelings" exposition than this book. Every time a character spoke, the author wrote out their feelings and oh-so-important inner-thoughts. Often repeating things A BILLION TIMES. I get it, Nicole is very maternal. Nicole has maternal feelings towards Grace. Nicole is weirdly maternal. GOT IT, Faith. GOT IT.

The characters came across as the following:

a) Drunks

b) Idiots

c) Stupidheads

On the back cover of the book Cosmopolitan reviews it as, "A sharp, funny read that will make you fight for the cause of love".

You know what, Cosmo? Stick to what you know. What's he REALLY thinking about your moves in the bedroom? is not enough to qualify you for reviewing pieces of literature. Otherwise you might recognize that this book is CRAP.

Sadly I bought two Faith Bleasdale books at Chapters that day (from now on I'm going back to my old routine; start with ONE book by a new author and if I love it then read everything they ever wrote). I'll probably give the other book I bought a chance, but first I need to get back to some skilled writers before my brain melts out of my ears from lack of quality stimulation.

I'm not even going to give you links for where you can buy this book. If you're willing to waste your time reading this book, you can waste even more time by first finding it on Amazon all by yourself. So there.

Love The One You're With

Author: Emily Giffin

Publication Year: 2008

Synopsis:

Ellen Dempsey is a photographer in New York City. She's happily newly-wed to Andy, yet an unexpected run-in with her first-love (Leo) years after their intense relationship came to an end makes her question her past and the choices she's making in her present. Ellen finds herself at a crossroads as she must choose between her stable life with her husband - or finally finding closure between her and Leo.


Thoughts:

This is Emily Giffin's fourth novel. I've read all four, in order, and each one is as good as the last. Giffin writes in the first-person narrative, meaning that the main character narrates the story. Giffin artfully weaves her character's pasts and presents together, creating an emotional connection between the main character and the reader. I highly recommend this to all chick-lit lovers, but also to any woman looking for a page-turner.

I mentioned the first three Emily Giffin Novels here on my other blog. Briefly they are:

Something Borrowed
Something Blue
Baby Proof

I highly recommend that her books are read in order. The first two stories are a series, and while Baby Proof and Love The One You're With each have new main characters all four stories take place in New York City and as a little treat to faithful readers Emily Giffin's New York City is an interwoven place in which some characters from her other books are very briefly mentioned in the other novels.

Emily Giffin is a favourite author of mine, and definitely worth checking out!

Love The One You're With is available for purchase through Amazon here:

Amazon (Canada)
Amazon (U.S.)

This Nose Right Here? It's Always In A Book

It's The Wonder Worrier here! Welcome to my new blog, The Wonder Reader.

Lately I've been gobbling up books like a reading fiend, and the grand idea to start a Book Review and Reading blog was born!

What To Expect At The Wonder Reader:

• Every time I finish a book, I'll post a quick description of the book and write a brief review (no spoilers, scouts honour!)
  
• Open comments -- if anyone else out there has read the book and would like to discuss it, feel free! Comments are extremely welcome and appreciated!
  
• A blog to come to when you're looking for new reading material and need some ideas!

Here are a few notable reading-related links from my other blog, just to get the ball rolling (since I most likely won't mention these books for a second time here!).

Chick-Lit Recommendations Post # 1 (Reviews of many of my favourite Chick-Lit authors)

Chick-Lit Recommendations Post #2 (Reviews of more of my favourite Chick-Lit authors)

A Post In Which I Perform an Amazing Feat (The Time Traveler's Wife & The Memory Keeper's Daughter)

Read something good lately yourself that you think I might like? Leave me a comment or email me at wonderworrier@gmail.com and I'll check it out! Recommendations are ALWAYS welcome!