On My Wishlist: Magic Rises by Ilona Andrews and Reneé Raudman

Going slightly retro with this one...

Magic Rises
Series: Kate Daniels #6
by Ilona Andrews
Unabridged Audio
Narrator: Reneé Raudman
15 hrs. 6 min

Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.  

Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta. 

Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

I've been catching up on these on audio and LOVING them! THEN my darn library doesn't have the rest... so I'm just putting this one out there libraries... HINT! ;)

So what is on your list this week... slightly retro or not...

Craft Book Review: Stress-Free Vegetable Gardening by Caleb Warnock

Genre: Gardening

176 p.

Published: 2/9/16

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Source: From publisher for review

No more excuses! Well-known author Caleb Warnock provides insightful instruction on how to make gardening fun, easy, and stress-free.

You will learn such things as how to silence popular gardening myths, avoid those obnoxious weeds, remove pests safely and without nasty chemicals, grow vegetables year-round, and so much more!

Also included is a cheat sheet on how to grow, care for, and harvest anything from the commonly known cucumbers, carrots, and potatoes, to the lesser-known sunchoke, mustard greens, and Chinese cabbage.

Learn how easy it is to create an abundant crop with almost no effort. With this book in hand, you can enjoy delicious harvests that come back year after year!

Caleb was raised in the kitchens and gardens of the last generation to provide family meals without relying on the grocery store.

Book Preview

 My thoughts:

Again, since I'm not the official gardener in the family, I will have a dual review of the book of sorts with my mom.

What drew me to this book was the part about avoiding obnoxious weeds and removing pests without chemicals. I'm not so sure I want to grow year-round but it might be something to consider if I ever win the lotto and get that track of land I've been eyeing. :) I like that the plant information was broken down for me in an easy way. When to plant, when to harvest, where and how and also how to preserve the fruits (and veggies... heh) of your labor.

My mom had a different take on the book and it was more concise. She thought the book was more for those that had a large track of land with no neighbors who spray a lot for everything. She also thought there needed to be more consideration to the soil you have or replacing the topsoil could get quite pricey. That also included the tidbit about watering overnight. If you have a clay type soil, it does not penetrate easily and you'd be watering the neighborhood. Not good in drought areas. she did love the little tidbits she says she will incorporate in her planting. Mostly those that I have already listed.

We give this book 3 stars. While it has valuable plant information, if you don't have the space and soil perfect for the kind of conditions the books seems to want, you may not find it as helpful as you would like. It is valuable for the plant information, however.

Craft Book Review: Gardening Like a Ninja by Angela England

Genre: Gardening

192 p.

Published: 2/1/16

Publisher: Cedar Fort

Source: Publisher for review

Create a landscape that's both beautiful andedible! This book has everything you need to make your yard and your meals amazing! With a few simple adjustments, you can enhance your walkways, flower beds, front yards, and backyards with easy-to-care-for edible plants that will impress your neighbors and add to your dinner plate.

Become a gardening ninja by choosing the right vegetation for your zone to maximize success; using the seasons to create beauty year-round in your garden; cultivating areas that seem unusable; harvesting fruits, veggies, and nuts from everywhere in your landscape.

Your yard will look better than ever in no time with these sneaky edibles!

Book Preview 

My thoughts:

Since I'm not really the gardener in the family, I asked my mom (who loves to garden) what she thought so this will be a dual review of sorts.

Now this is my kind of gardening blurb.... easy and edible. I admit I'm not the gardener in the family, but I would love to incorporate them more within easy reach of me as well as easy to take care of. I think I can handle that. :)

My favorite part of the book was all the information given on each plant and tree. It gives botanical information, general knowledge, growing guide, and potential pests and diseases. This is information I would have had to look up otherwise and it is good to have it in one book.

My mom also loved the part of including the plants in with the flowers and using squash as a climbing vine in arbors. She was also amazed at the plants she already has that can be eaten when harvested at the right time. I wonder what new concoctions she will come up with. I hate to cook, but she is a wiz at it.

We give this book 4 1/2 stars. It is a great book for those that love to garden, those that want to garden and those that want to put in edibles with the flowers.

On My Wishlist: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
parts I & II
by J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany
320 p.
Published: 7/31/16
Publisher: Scholastic

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a new play by Jack Thorne, is the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. It will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on 30th July 2016 

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children. 

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes darkness comes from unexpected places.

This is one of those... DUH! Of course I want the book NOW ones... :D

So what is on your wishlist this week? 

Audiobook Review with Crafts: Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Covenant #4
Narrator: Justine Eyre
Unabridged
11 hrs. 19 min.
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Source: Library/Hoopla

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods-and Alex herself-to bring her back.The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex's power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex's connection to Seth isn't the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole "an Apollyon can't be killed" theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries. Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer or she might become the God Killer herself.

My thoughts:

I'm so happy I'm catching up with this series. It has me captivated and worried about the arc with the God Killer and(?) Seth. Having the novella Elixir helped and also had some important information before going into this book. And while that part of the arc is complete, we still have to find a way to stop what is happening and also find out what the cost will be for all our favorite characters, especially Aiden and Alex.

As stated above we undertake another harrowing journey that is an important part of the overall arc. I don't want to give too much away if you haven't read the other books in the series, but I will say this... the romance is so good. I love Aiden and I especially love the way he supports her even if she is more powerful then he could ever become. His love is true and it shines through everything he does and says. Yea, can I oversell this guy? No, not at all. :)

I enjoyed Justine's narration with her various voice portrayals as I did in the previous audios. I still have a bit of a problem with her inner voice of Alex as it still seems so tired. I also listened with this one at 1.25 and that seemed to take care of that problem I had but not interfere with the voicing of the characters. It was a good compromise.

I give this audio 4 1/2 stars. Another great addition to the series and I immediately got the next one so I can listen to it immediately. I am anxious for the final showdown, but I also can't wait to find out what happens. I highly recommend this series to those that enjoy YA PNR.

The Crafts!

I made a couple of things while listening to this audio. One is a scarf/shrug. You can use it as a scarf but if it gets chilly and you have a short or no sleeve shirt, it converts to sleeves. I used a tutorial by Bez White (free at her blog). I changed it a bit by using one length (instead of 2) and I changed the embellishing on the edges since this was for my mom and the embellishment I did was more her style. This was also the second one I did. The first one broke a needle (yes, knit breaking a needle... lol) and other things which makes it a project that will NOT see the light of day. :) I'm still learning on how to sew knits.

The second project was a yoga bag. I bought a good yoga mat to use but I have to wait for it to outgas and I cannot go near it until it does. UGH. Manufactures... please cure products before you send them out. Anyhoo... This bag is a pattern from Swoon (affiliate link). The bag is called Sophia. Ever since I saw these frogs I've wanted to do a yoga bag out of it. I thought it was too funny and cute to pass up. The mat is my old one but works. :)