Althea's Reading Corner

Title: How to Catch Santa Claus Author: Alice Walstead Series: How to Catch... Genre: Children's Fiction Format: Kindle No. of Pages: 40 Date of Publication: September 1, 2023 Description:  It's time to deck the halls and set your traps in this new Christmas adventure from the   New York Times   and  USA Today   bestselling How to Catch series! Do you have what it takes to catch jolly old St. Nicholas himself? Santa Claus is getting ready to deliver presents to children around the world, but the wily Catch Club Kids have set traps galore! With the help of his trusty Reindeer and Elf, Santa will have to use all his festive magic to avoid being caught. Poised to become a new holiday tradition, this merry picture book is filled with silly rhymes and illustrations sure to delight young readers and educators alike with STEAM concepts and classic hilarity and chaos. The perfect Christmas gift or holiday stocking stuffer for children ages 4-10! It's Christmas Eve! I am...

Title: A Very Nutty Halloween Author: Jody Hildreth Genre: Children's Fiction Format: Kindle No. of Pages: 24 Date of Publication: August 1, 2023   Description:  Halloween is a thrilling, spooky holiday that kids love to celebrate. This story follows an acorn family as they pick and carve their pumpkin. The Oakenfield brothers all use their talents to work on this fun holiday activity. With lots of hard work and a little pumpkin gut throwing, the brothers come up with an amazing acorn Jack o’ Lantern. This silly story is sure to spark creativity in young readers who are celebrating Halloween. My Thoughts:  Halloween is my favorite my holiday, which is why I was excited to request this book. Sadly, I was disappointed by the book. The story is very basic and is simply a step by step instruction on how the acorns carved a pumpkin. The acorns being the main characters were a unique idea. Rating: 2 out of 5. Sadly this story was just not for me and my son. Many thanks to Rosen...

Title: The Boo Crew Needs YOU! Author: Vicky Fang Genre: Children's Fiction Format: Kindle No. of Pages: 40 Date of Publication: August 1, 2023   Description:  Trouble's come to Monster Town, and emergencies abound! There's no time to wait around... get the Boo Crew! Get ready for a spooky interactive story experience with Lula, Bones, and Fang—a ghost, skeleton, and vampire team who need YOUR help fixing all the messes and frights of a Halloween night gone wrong! Whether it's tapping the page to mend a broken pumpkin or turning the book to set a toppling haunted house back upright, the action prompts let kids join in on the fun and save the day. My Thoughts:  I loved this book. It is such a fun Halloween childrens book. The story follows the boo crew who goes around town solving Halloween themed problems. The best part of the book is the interactive activities included throughout that gets your child involved into the story. As I was reading it, I was thinking to mysel...

Title: Goodnight Santa Author: Michelle Robinson Genre: Children's Fiction Format: Kindle No. of Pages: 28 Date of Publication: August 29, 2023   Description:  Get ready for bed during the holiday season with a sweet, jolly story and goodnight, Christmas twist! Follow Santa Claus's journey from his workshop in the North Pole to his magical sleigh and flying reindeer as he brings gifts of every shape and size! In this Christmas picture book, come celebrate the most wonderful time of year as children settle into bed and say "night night" to those sugar plums in their head, perfect for fans of Polar Express! Kids will love saying good night to Santa, his reindeer, and the elves for many holiday nights in what is sure to become a bedtime tradition for families to share. My Thoughts:  A fun Christmas bedtime story that catches the essence of Christmas for children. The things the children say goodnight to are adorable. My son enjoyed this book quite a bit and we have...

Title: Waiting on Mr. Sloth Author: Katy Hudson Genre: Children's Fiction Format: Kindle No. of Pages:  Date of Publication: January 1, 2023 Description:  The sun is out. The temperature is hot. And Sasha has everything packed and ready for a full day of swimming! But Mr. Sloth is taking for-eh-ver! Sasha does NOT like to wait. However, her best friend is never in a hurry. Will Sasha learn to be patient, or will her quick temper ruin a memorable summer outing? Interest level: PreK-3; Reading level: PreK-3 My Thoughts:  I enjoy sloths and find them to be a fascinating animal. The sloth is why I requested this book from Netgalley. The story is cute and the little girl just wants to go swimming with her friend Mr. Sloth. However, he is so slow that it frustrates the little girl. For me the book just didn't do it for me because it felt dragged on. I know this was intentional because of the sloth but it was too painfu...

Title: Lone Wolf Author: Gregg Hurwitz Narrator: Scott Brick Series: Orphan X Genre: Suspense Format: Audiobook Listening Length: 13 hours and 13 minutes Date of Publication: February 13, 2024 Description:  This program is read by multi-award-winning narrator Scott Brick. "Brick employs perfect timing and emphasis to portray Evan and plays him with heart...Brick shines in long passages of exposition, setting up the stakes with deft talent, and quickly shifts into periodic high action."— AudioFile Once a black ops government assassin known as Orphan X, Evan Smoak left the Program, went deep underground, and reinvented himself as someone who will go anywhere and risk everything to help the truly desperate who have nowhere else to turn. Since then, Evan has fought international crime syndicates and drug cartels, faced down the most powerful people in the world and even brought down a President. Now struggling with an unexpected personal crisis, Evan goes back to the very basics ...

The Missing Witness : A Quinn & Costa Novel  Allison Brennan Series: A Quinn & Costa Thriller (#5) On Sale Date: January 23, 2024 9780778369653 Hardcover $30.00 USD Fiction / Thrillers / Crime  416 pages About the Book: When a key witness goes missing, Quinn & Costa must find her before a killer silences her for good… Detective Kara Quinn is back in Los Angeles to testify against a notorious human trafficker, finally moving past the case that upended her life. But when the accused is shot in broad daylight, the chaotic scene of the crime turns up few reliable bystanders. And one witness—a whistleblower who might be the key to everything—has disappeared. After another person close to the case is killed, it’s clear that anyone who knows too much is in danger, and tracking down the witness becomes a matter of life-and-death. But as explosive secrets surface within the LAPD and FBI, Kara questions everything she thought she knew about the case, her colleagues and the l...

Title: Where You End Author: Abott Kahler N arrator: Megan Tusing and Samantha Desz Genre: Thriller Format: Audiobook Listening Length: 11 hours and 16 minutes Date of Publication: January 16, 2024 Description:  " Tusing keeps listeners' attention from the start. At first, her voice has the quality of an ingenue. Desz, as Jude, sounds dominating, subtle, and quietly terrifying. Their voices align beautifully, with a darkness that entices deeper listening, particularly when motivations aren't clear."— AudioFile  (Earphones Award Winner) “A perfectly paced, addictive thriller with a vicious twist.”—Paula Hawkins From bestselling nonfiction author Abbott Kahler comes a spellbinding fiction debut: an unusual form of amnesia upends the lives of identical twins, forcing them to face the indelible, dangerous shadow of the past. When Kat Bird wakes up from a coma, she sees her mirror image: Jude, her twin sister. Jude’s face and name are the only memories Kat has from before ...

Title: Hooray for Fall! Author: Kazuo Iwamura G enre: Children's fiction Format: Kindle No. of Pages: 32 Date of Publication: September 5, 2023 Description:  A warm welcome to autumn! This beloved book—redesigned with a fresh new look—is the latest edition in this popular series about seasons! Mama has a surprise for her three little squirrels: three bright red sweaters to keep them warm throughout the fall. Imagine the siblings’ surprise when they find that everything in the autumn woods—the leaves, the berries, even the setting sun—is red too, just like their sweaters. This celebration of a perfect fall day will have young and old alike looking for signs of autumn in their own neighborhoods. Kazuo Iwamura’s books celebrating the seasons ( Hooray for Spring! ,  Hooray for Summer! ,  Hooray for Fall! , and  Hooray for Snow! ) are perennial favorites—introducing children to the beauty and joy of each season. Iwamura masterfully captures the small wonders of nature in ...

Title: 'Twas the Bite Before Christmas Author: David Rosenfelt Narrator: Grover Gardner Series: An Andy Carpenter Mystery Genre: Mystery Format: Audiobook & Kindle Listening Length: 6 hours and 33 minutes and 8 seconds Date of Publication: October 10, 2023 Description:  Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter is at the Tara Foundation’s annual Christmas party. The dog rescue organization has always been his true calling, and this is one holiday tradition he can get behind because every dog that’s come through the rescue—and their families—are invited to celebrate. This year’s party is no exception. But before the stockings can be hung by the chimney with care, homicide detectives ruin the evening. Derek Moore, one of the foundation’s best foster volunteers, is arrested for murder. Andy discovers Derek—whose real name is Bobby—is in the witness protection program after giving evidence against his former gang. The police believe Bobby murdered a member. But Bobby swears to Andy he didn’t...

An Inconvenient Earl Author: Julia London ISBN: 9781335498250 Publication Date: December 26, 2023 Publisher: Canary Street Press Book Summary: “Deliciously clever.” — Booklist on The Duke Not Taken Bold. Beautiful. Beguiling. It’s been over a year since Emma Clark’s no-good husband left on an expedition. The Countess of Dearborn has played the abandoned wife, but people are beginning to presume the earl is dead, which doesn't suit Emma at all. Emma likes being head of household in Albert’s absence and does her best to keep his family believing he is alive and well. She’s thirty years old and finally having some fun. If the earl is in fact dead, his family is waiting in the wings to swoop in and throw Emma out, leaving her destitute. Then along comes Luka Olivien, the Weslorian Earl of Marlaine. He’s traveled all the way from Egypt, duty-bound to return to the countess her deceased husband’s precious pocket watch—only to discover she doesn’t know he’s dead… Or does she? It’s hard to...