Book Review: Yak and Dove by Kyo Maclear, Illustrator Esme Shapiro

This sweet story, with lovely illustrations, delivers a nice message of friendship.
Yak and Dove
by Kyo Maclear (Author), Esme Shapiro (Illustrator)

Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 3
Hardcover: 56 pages
Publisher: Tundra Books; Ill edition (September 19, 2017)
ISBN-10: 1770494944
Genre: Animals, Children, Friends
My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0

Sometimes the unlikeliest friends form the greatest friendships. A funny, charming picture book from a dynamic duo.
Friends Yak and Dove are complete opposites. Yak is large and Dove is small. Yak has fur and Dove has feathers. Yak is polite. Dove is ill-mannered. Yak likes quiet. Dove likes noise. One day as Yak and Dove list their differences they come to the conclusion that maybe they aren't meant to be friends. In the hope of finding a new best friend, Yak holds auditions. But when a small feathered contestant sings Yak's favorite song, the two begin to think that maybe they are alike after all . . .
Yak and Dove whimsically captures the highs and lows of friendship through the three interconnected tales of two very different friends.

Review:
Yak and Dove are close friends in spite of their many differences. Yak is big, furry and polite. Dove is small, feathered and abrupt to the edge of rudeness. The pair see twins and wonder what it would be like to be so close and connected. Suddenly they are challenging their own friendship and decide they are not well suited as friends after all. Marmot helps Yak audition for new friends but in the end Yak and Dove remember all they share and care about. This portion of the book is fun, the message meaningful and the illustrations are full and lovely.

The book then becomes confusing as it moves to what seemed to me to be unrelated, and disjointed additional stories. At that point it lost my attention as well as the attention of my four year old granddaughter. The book would have been better without the strange jump and could have been shortened which would fit the intended audience even better. I can recommend the first portion of the book but am sorry I was lost on the remainder.

I received the ebook through NetGalley. It qualifies for my NetGalley challenge.

Sunday Post September 17, 2017/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday September 18, 2017

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading now at The Book Date.
Thank you to Sheila for the years that she handled this meme.
Thank you to Kathryn for taking up the baton.

What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

We were thankful to have had minimal weather from Hurricane Irma as she passed northeast. The rest of the week was catch-up in the office with more coming up this week.

I enjoyed my listening and reading. I finished three books: two audio books and one ebook again. I posted three reviews plus my usual memes.

I visited only 27 blogs last week.
Shout out this week is for Booklover Book Reviews. This is an active book review blog.
Thank you to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post September 10, 2017/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday September 11, 2017.

• ATBR- Audible Review: Koban, Volume 1 by Stephen W. Bennett; Alien Invasion, Genetic Engineering, Sci Fi; my rating 4.5.

• eTour- Book Review: Love, Murder & Mayhem, an Anthology; Mystery, Sci Fi; my rating 4.25.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway September 15, 2017. Open Worldwide. Ending 9/21/2017.

• eAuthor- Book Review: ReWired by S. R. Johannes; Teen, Suspense, YA; My rating 4.0.

• Sharing Beyond Books #320 Comment Giveaway September 9, 2017. Open Worldwide. Ending 9/23/2017.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement September 17, 2017.

Finished Reading:

1. Audible/MP3 (TBR)

Valor's Choice (Confederation, #1)
by Tanya Huff
Marguerite Gavin (Narrator)
This is an engaging space fantasy.
I pulled this from my Audible TBR shelves for "V" in my Alphabet Challenge.
Click on book title for full description.

2. eBook/Kindle (Tour)

Love, Murder & Mayhem: 
Cosmic Tales of the Heart Gone Deadly Wrong
An Anthology
My review of this interesting collection is linked above.
I received this review invite from Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws.
Click on book title for full description.

3. Audible/MP3 TBR

Skinwalker: Jane Yellowrock, Book 1
By Faith Hunter
Narrated By Khristine Hvam
Series: Jane Yellowrock, Book 1
I really enjoyed this shapeshifter story.
I picked this from my Audible TBR for "S" in Alphabet Challenge.
Publisher's Summary
Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind - a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living. But now she's been hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katie's Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who's killing other vamps.
©2009 Faith Hunter (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Currently Reading:
1. eBook/Kindle (NG)

The Clockwork Dynasty
by Daniel H. Wilson
I am midway though and enjoying this well crafted tale.
I received this through NetGalley.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Print Book (iRead)

Alycat and the Monday Blues
by Alysson Foti Bourque
I will be posting a review, author Guest Post and Tour Giveaway on September 21, 2017.
I received this title through iRead Book Tours.
One Monday morning, Alycat wakes up with the dreaded Monday Blues—she's certain that everything will go wrong. But even when mishaps seem to ruin her day, she finds out that helping a friend can lead to discovering hew own hidden talent and curing the Monday Blues!

3. Audible/MP3 (ABB)

The League of Governors
Written by: Wendy Terrien
Narrated by: Brian Callanan
Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
Series: The Adventures of Jason Lex, Book 2
This sounds like a fun read/listen.
I received this audio title from the narrator through AudioBook Boom.
Publisher's Summary
Jason Lex just saved the world. Now he's immersed in training as a new Rampart Guard to protect the shield that enables humans and cryptids like Skyfish, Bigfoot, and the Black Shuck, to live side-by-side and danger-free. A summons from the League of Governors, the clandestine organization that presides over the human-cryptid treaty, takes a suspicious turn when Jason's dad and sister disappear on their way to League headquarters. Jason must find them before things go bad, so he follows their trail to London, where he discovers the League of Governors may not be the benevolent organization everyone believes.
Injured and alone, Jason doesn't know whom to trust. After a shocking loss sends him reeling, news about his family forces Jason to make a terrible choice. When he learns of a secret plan to enslave the world, Jason must risk his life to defeat a powerful enemy and reunite what's left of his family. But can he stop a dominating adversary, and again save the world, before it's too late?
©2017 Camashea Press (P)2017 Camashea Press

4. eBook/Kincle (NG)

On the Chase (Rocky Mountain K9 Unit Book 2)
by Katie Ruggle
I enjoy this author 
so I am looking forward to reading this.
I received this through NetGalley.
An Amazon Best Book of the Month
“Vivid and charming.”—CHARLAINE HARRIS, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series
Injured in the line of duty,
His orders are simple:
Stay alive.
But when a frightened woman bursts into his life, Hugh and his K9 companion have no choice but to risk everything to keep her safe.
The sole witness to a horrific crime, Kaylee Ramay flees to the Colorado Rockies to start a new life. There she becomes Grace, a dog kennel employee desperately trying to avoid attention—especially from dangerously attractive K9 Officer Hugh Murdoch.
Because Hugh is tall, dark…and nothing but trouble.
Hugh is anxious to get back in the field after an act of heroism left him warming the bench.
Until then, he and his K9 partner Lexi spend their hours teasing the town’s mysterious newcomer. But when their simmering attraction is nearly cut short by a sniper’s bullet, Hugh’s mystery woman must come clean about the secrets she keeps…
Or both of them will pay the price.

5. ebook/Print (LBC)

A Matter of Character,
Sisters of Bethlehem Springs Series #3
by Robin Lee Hatcher
I can now get to completing this in the next two weeks (for 10/7 or 14 meeting).

September 10, 2017 - I am back reading on track in the One Year Bible, with one week still to catch up. I am working on getting back on track. I have been reading along with my husband and others from our church. I hope to take more time this year, staying on the day and listening to the companion commentary online.

I completed three books and posted three reviews. That keeps me at two current reviews with one NG to post this week for the book  release.
I am still about three titles behind linking my reviews to Goodreads, Amazon and Audible.
I am down to 5 NetGalley titles (so I may start requesting again) and still 2 author titles in my queue, the others are instafreebies that I do want to get to but not the same commitment.

We're working on two fiction books soon to add to eTreasure's NetGalley page.

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) and after a tour of hosts has returned to its permanent home at Mailbox Monday. Thanks to the ladies sharing hosting duties: Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit and (yours truly).  
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
I picked up one tour book and one audiobook for review and listed a NetGalley title I forgot to list last week.
I selected my two Audible credits for August and bought on $.99 kindle title. 
As usual, I picked up more free kindle titles as usual. (Note these are in my Amazon library, NOT on my Kindle until I download and transfer them.)

Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

I received this title through NetGalley but forgot to list it last week.

On the Chase (Rocky Mountain K9 Unit Book 2)
by Katie Ruggle
See full description above under Current Reading.

I received this title through iRead Book Tours.
I will be posting a review, author Guest Post and Tour Giveaway on September 21, 2017.
Alycat and the Monday Blues
by Alysson Foti Bourque
See full description above under Current Reading.

I received this audio title from the author/narrator through AudioBook Boom.

The League of Governors
Written by: Wendy Terrien
Narrated by: Brian Callanan
See full description above under Current Reading.

Won

NONE

Purchased

I selected my two August Audible Credits:

Koban: The Mark of Koban, Volume 2
By: Stephen W. Bennett
Narrator: Eric Michael Summerer
Duration: 22 hrs and 11 mins
I wanted this to continue this alien sci fi series.

After It Happened
By: Devon C. Ford
Narrator: R. C. Bray
Duration: 12 hrs and 38 mins
This is post-apocalyptic after a pandemic.


I purchased one Kindle title for $.99


Trackers 2: The Hunted (A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Series)
by Nicholas Sansbury Smith
I have book one and want to start this series.

Free

Here are some of the Free Kindle titles I picked up. (All of these may still be free):
 
Familiar Trouble (Familiar Legacy Book 1)
by Carolyn Haines

Jarek (Scifi Alien Weredragon Romance) (Dragons of Preor)
by Celia Kyle, Erin Tate

A Brush Creek Brides Duo: A Wedding for the Widower & A Companion for the Cowboy
by Liz Isaacson

Broken World
by Kate L. Mary, Emily Teng

Between Mountain and Sea: Paradisi Chronicles (Caelestis Series Book 1)
by Louisa Locke

Winter's Secret: Clean Wholesome Mystery and Romance
(Northern Intrigue Book 1)
by Lyn Cote

and a few more:
Kiss of Magic Romance, Book One by Mary Leo
The Major's Faux Fiancee (Dukes of War Book 4) by Erica Ridley
Essence Of The Creator (Unveiling The Unseen Book 1) by Alana Plummer
Must Love Murder: A Sketchy Matchmaker Mystery by Etta Faire
Before the Leap (Gold Valley Romance Book 1) by Liz Isaacson, Elana Johnson

I added 74! free Kindle titles to my library this week. Titles found linked through Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Ignite Your Book, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.

Sunday Words of Encouragement September 17, 2017

We were happy to be back in our home church. Our Sunday School teacher presented a great message titled “Slow Fade” which I will share soon. Pastor started a new sermon series titled Tension. This series will be four weeks, addressing tension in Faith, Marriage, Family and Life.

Most of us try to avoid tension because it brings discomfort. Tension often leads to negative outcomes. Some people may bring or foster tension in circumstances. There is an old saying “Hurting people hurt people.”But tension also has benefits. Tension is a normal, accepted and welcome part of everyday life. Tension is necessary in music, for electronic equipment, and for vehicle operations. Tension is needed in our body for movement.

Avoiding tension can create stagnant situations and problems. Where there is tension, there is power. The scripture is full of tension. Jesus uses tension to move people by poking at people. Tension is also evident in the old testament, for example, God created tension by hardening Pharaoh’s heart.

God will use tension to move us in faith. We need to recognize the opportunity to pray in the tension. And the opportunity to grow closer to God.

Point: God uses tension to bring us to a decision point that leads us to increased, solidified faith and relationship with God.

Tension creates the opportunity for God's power to be displayed. When the disciples asked Jesus whose sin caused the blindness, Jesus stated: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:1-3. Also see v.39. If we follow Jesus, we live in tension with this world. John 15:13-19 and John 16:1.

Don't abandon your faith when you face tension. Instead, lean into the Spirit. In this world we have trouble but Jesus has overcome the world. John 16:33. Jesus sends His followers out as lambs among wolves. You can be eaten or rely on Him for protection and growth. Jesus brought division to the world, not peace. Luke 12:49-52.

We either surrender to His Way and Will or we reject Him. Jesus tells us to “Gear up” to face the day to day world. Ephesians 6:10-18. Will you allow God to use tension in your life?

I think this song fits this message!

A Verse for Today:

John 16:33 NIV
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus, thank you for overcoming this world and reminding me to "gear up" to face this world of trouble.

Sharing Beyond Books #320 Comment Giveaway September 16, 2017

Hello again and Welcome to Sharing Beyond Books, SBB!

Thanks to everyone who commented last week.
11 commenters can support a villain in the right circumstances. Three agreed on Snapes, and three named specific characters. Two commenters can't recall any villains they liked and three said they cannot not like a villian or at least not yet.

~~~~~

The Winner from SBB #319 comments is: #9 MYSTICA who can make a GC choice if international or book choice from the Updated (**Finally!) ARC/Review titles or (recently updated) Love and Christmas titles - all linked near the end of the post.

**NOTE: I did post an Updated ARC and Other books for Giveaways. I have to go back and list the titles -- someday.
Please let me know your choice by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #320

(One Question.)

Sue asks: Do you have any close friends that have totally different political or religious beliefs than you do? Any from different ethnic backgrounds or of a different race??

Yes, I have a few friends, and even family, with totally different political views - we agree to disagree. And yes, there are a couple with different religious beliefs. I also have some close friends of different race. However, I can't think of any of truly different ethnic background.

Image found at Pinterest..

Thanks to those who are sending in Questions. DON'T BE SHY! Surely everyone has a Q or two you'd like to ask. Input suggestions in this Suggested Question Form. At the end of each month I draw from the suggestions I used during the month and that person will get a book choice or GC. I thank everyone for submitting questions. Thanks for sending in questions! The supply of questions is dwindling so share some if you think of any -- even if they are duplicates I'll weed through or try to modify.

Your turn to share. Sue asks: Do you have any close friends that have totally different political or religious beliefs than you do? Any from different ethnic backgrounds or of a different race??

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the Updated ARC and Other books, including the "Love" and Christmas titles all in one post.

SBB Rules:
a) Must be a follower.
b) Share a comment on the question above.
Open internationally and an international winner may get a smaller book or a $5.00 GC if I decide the mailing is too much.
I will pick a Comment winner from all comments made through Saturday September 23, 2017 at 5 PM central.

Book Review: ReWired by S. R. Johannes

This is an engaging YA suspense focused on computer addiction/hackers.

ReWired
by S.R. Johannes

File Size: 382 KB
Print Length: 316 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: Coleman & Stott (August 27, 2017)
ASIN: B0752Z6V3W
Genre: Teens, Suspense, YA
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

16-year-old Ada Lovelace is never more alive and sure of herself than when she’s hacking into a “secure” network as her alter ego, the Dark Angel. In the real world, Ada is broken, reeling from her best friend Simone’s recent suicide. But online, the reclusive daughter of Senator Lovelace (champion of the new Technology Privacy Bill) is a daring white hat hacker and the only female member of the Orwellians, an elite group responsible for a string of high-profile hacks against major corporations, with a mission to protect the little guy.
Ada is swiftly proving she’s a force to be reckoned with, when a fellow Orwellian betrays her to the FBI. To protect her father’s career, Ada is sent to ReBoot, a technology rehab facility for teens…the same rehab Simone attended right before killing herself.
It’s bad enough that the ReBoot facility is creepy in an Overlook-Hotel-meets-Winchester-Mansion way, but when Ada realizes Simone’s suicide is just one in an increasingly suspicious string of “accidental” deaths and “suicides” occurring just after kids leave ReBoot, Ada knows she can’t leave without figuring out what really happened to her best friend. The massive cyber conspiracy she uncovers will threaten everything she cares about–her dad’s career, her new relationship with a wry, handsome, reformed hacker, Fisher, who gets under her skin, and most of all–the Dark Angel.
With a deliciously twisty plot, the topical bite of Cory Doctorow's LITTLE BROTHER, ReWIRED delves into technology addiction, internet privacy, and corporate/government collection of data.
ReWIRED is about the daily choices we all make about who we want to be, how much of ourselves we choose to share with others, and the terrifying risks and exhilarating rewards of being ourselves, online and off.

Review:
Ada Lovelace is the daughter of a busy senator father and society busy mother who tend to be preoccupied with their own lives and affairs. Ada is immersed in the worlds of computer gaming and online community with few friends in real life. Ada is still trying to recover from the apparent suicide of her best friend, Simone who was caught hacking and sent to ReBoot, a rehab facility for hacker teens. Shortly after being released, and without sharing with Ada, Simone was found dead.

Ada, known online as the Dark Angel, is involved with a secret group that challenges its members to hack important systems. Ada is one of the best in the competitions and sometimes tries to protect the victims of the hacks from the others whose goals might be more malicious. The group is betrayed and Ada ends up being forced into rehab at the ReBoot facility.

The place is beyond creepy, not to mention it is off the electronic grid. All of the kids have different ‘antisocial’ tendencies and histories of computer addiction. Ada isn’t sure if she wants to become friends with any of them as she resigns herself to her thirty (30) days of imprisonment. As Ada begins to make contact with the others, she learns that too many former attendees have died shortly after being released from the facility. Now Ada is intent on discovering what Simone did while she was at ReBoot that might have led to her death. Ada finds secret rooms in the old building and knows that she is on to some strange behavior especially after repeated near death accidents during the academy ‘games’. Can Ada uncover a dark plot before she becomes a victim too?

I enjoyed the different characters that the author created to share this story, even referring to them as “The Breakfast Club of the Cybersphere”. Some are darker and more insular while others are more like regular kids who have gotten sucked into the world of technology. There are several twists that made the story interesting and helped me skim over the teen angsty elements (that were appropriate to the characters but not my thing). The pacing and suspense is good so that the story moved along well. There is a touch of romance too that develops through conflict and is handled nicely. I do hope the version I read was an ARC version as it was absolutely full of grammar and typo errors.

I appreciated the message this story may have especially for young people (and their parents) as the teens become more involved with and reliant upon cell phones and computer life. I know myself how easy it is to lose hours of time while visiting social media or playing online games. The author provides a message that it is important to stay in live contact with family and friends. I recommend this to readers who enjoy YA issues in a story that includes technology and suspense elements.

I was invited to read this by the author who provided an ebook copy. My review is based solely on my own opinion.