Two Reviews in One: Lockdown Drill at Superhero School: Calmly prepare for a Lockdown Drill with Superhero Skills! by Tamara Rittershaus English and Spanish

Lockdown Drill at Superhero School: Calmly prepare for a Lockdown Drill with Superhero Skills! by Tamara Rittershaus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m on a mission to attempt to read primers of other languages as I can. I found this one about superheroes and school lockdown safety. I saw there was one in English and this one in Spanish.

It is a sad commentary on our world that this primer is necessary. But I love how it is written and presented to the kids who are given this way to view the way to their safety.

The illustrations are fun.

No, I am still not good enough to read this without help. But I opened this one on my laptop Kindle app and the other version on my cell phone Kindle app. It worked out.

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Review: The Walking Dead, Vol. 19: March to War by Robert Kirkman

The Walking Dead, Vol. 19: March to War by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

No question about it, I love The Walking Dead, not the zombies; they represent the problem humanity has to deal with. The books and show are about how differently we respond to the threat. This was made clear during the pandemic. Back then, Robert Kirkman understood how people could change with a huge problem.

In this issue, all the problems Negan and the saviors have brought bring all the groups together to fight for their independence.

This was written before the show, so it is interesting to see the original intent. I have to admit that the show is better. I never say that about the difference between books and shows. But in this case, the story grew up into the show.

I don’t like war and shooting. But in this case, it is necessary for most people to live peaceably in the future. Ugh! I even hate saying that. But it is true.

The story varied but was nearly the same as the show. Some characters are subbed in for others. But the storyline stayed the same.

Please check out the Kindle version of these comics. You can enlarge the pictures or font to see it all the better than the paper product.

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Review: The Walking Dead, Vol. 17: Something to Fear by Robert Kirkman

The Walking Dead, Vol. 17: Something to Fear by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really wish I could have read this before the television series. I kept relating to a couple of episodes that this issue contains. On the show, this was the hardest one to deal with. As it was, it was pretty horrendous with all the blood and guts, just different.

Negan says the same things and does the same things. Oh, Negan!

What is interesting about this series, either the TV or the comic versions, is seeing how people adapt to a world without society’s rules over the years. Survival looks differently to each individual, and you choose the tribe you feel reflects you and keeps you safe. Watching it through the filter of COVID19 and how that has separated our tribes show that Robert Kirkman understood a lot more than a comic book writer should. The story is great written, drawn, or acted out.

I can’t wait until I can afford my next one.

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Review: Guardians of the Trails: Secret Agents of the Wilderness Volume 1 by Ron Guiley

Guardians of the Trails: Secret Agents of the Wilderness Volume 1 by Ron Guiley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I recently went to the eye doctor. Yes, the one that didn’t give me new glasses as he is setting up cataract-removal surgery for me. I can’t wait! It will be so nice when I can read all books again. Until that operation happens, I guess children’s books or Kindle and Audible are my only way to read. As the doctor and I discussed how I couldn’t even see the big E with my left eye, I told him how important it was that I be able to read. “I’m a writer!” I said as I pointed to my 2020 NaNoWriMo winner’s T-shirt. He pulled out his bookmark to prove he not only wrote but actually had published his masterpiece. I couldn’t wait to get it and read it.

Luckily, this book is a wonderful picture book. The poodles pictured in the book are the doctor’s own. He enjoyed taking them on hikes and snapped pictures. A story evolved with the pictures, as with children’s books, the writing is large enough for most of us to read. And the illustrations are adorable. Don’t think for a minute it is just a bunch of poodle pics. The story is fun. The poodles are secret agents solving nature puzzles. I can’t wait to see what they get up to in volume 2!

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Review: The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harrington

The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harrington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an adorable tale! The little girl, Baby, as Big Mama calls her, sees it as her mission to catch every chicken. But one eludes her.

Shelley Jackson makes the story come alive with illustrations that seem real yet whimsical with a bit of collage throughout the book.

My children and I would have loved this when they were 5-8ish years old. It might have helped as educational moments as we had chickens back then. Learning that you must chase down a chicken every now and thing to medicate or isolate certain ones. But chasing, as fun as it could be, frighten the chickens and can be bad for them. My kids never found that a goal. Instead, they learned to gather eggs and mostly leave the chickens to live their own lives. They saw hens clutch and babies hatch and follow mothers around.

This fits in the Black Lives Matter category as the child, and her mom are black. It is incidental. This could have been any race living in rural areas. I like that. I can’t wait until things like this book become commonplace. Books and the arts should reflect our lives. All kinds of people live on this earth. Why not enjoy the variety?

Now that I am finished reading this book, I will donate it to the local library as I think it might be a good addition.

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Review: The Walking Dead, Vol. 11: Fear the Hunters by Robert Kirkman

The Walking Dead, Vol. 11: Fear the Hunters by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In this hot, smoky summer of 2020 with COVID19, masks, and distancing, my personal issue being an infected tooth that caused headaches, earaches, and fevers which started in March but I couldn’t get an appointment until August, I needed distractions. Why not some Walking Dead? It was how I felt.

I love comparing the television show with the comics. So different yet carrying the same basic story. The actors, characters changed or exchanged to make the show, I think, better. But I might have thought differently had I read the books first.

Cannibalism and ‘look at the flowers’ are combined here. Even the Dale story has lasted far longer and so different than the show.

For people that don’t have vision issues, the paperback would be a nice addition to the collection. For me, I just can’t read the small print. And the Kindle version offers the feature where you can read frame by frame and enlarge it on the Fire or tablet to see all the fine artwork. And I love the combination that this series gives the reader.

I can see why a TV series needed to be made as the book couldn’t contain all the bits that needed to be shared. A picture being worth a thousand words, more pictures were needed, even when the artist and author had done their best, there was more story to tell.

Yes, I’m addicted to both versions of TWD!

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Review: Round Loom Knitting in 10 Easy Lessons: 30 Stylish Projects by Nicole F Cox

Round Loom Knitting in 10 Easy Lessons: 30 Stylish Projects by Nicole F Cox
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a gift from my daughter. At first, I thought it was going to be too easy. I’ve been loom-knitting for a couple of years now. And though I didn’t read the book word for word I did enough examining the patterns and instructions to know that this would be a great book for beginners. But there are lots of more advanced patterns. Many I have bookmarked to try later.

I highly recommend this book for anyone into loom knitting or thinking about getting into it.

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Review: Sock Loom Basics by Leisure Arts Inc.

Sock Loom Basics by Leisure Arts Inc.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Since I haven’t read every single pattern in this book, I can’t actually judge in entirety. Still, I did find it easy to follow in a couple of patterns I did use. The illustrations are far better than most of the loom knitting books. I do plan to keep it as a reference. There are still a couple of the socks I want to try.

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Review: Circular Knitting: The Most Effective Method to Knit on Circular Needles: by Emily Haschig

Circular Knitting: The Most Effective Method to Knit on Circular Needles: by Emily Haschig
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Words count. If you sell a book in America, especially a how-to, the verbiage should be in American English. I wanted to understand how to use my circular knitting needles better. I saw the title and thought it would help. Step-by-step, with illustrations so I could see if I was doing it right or wrong.

Just now, after reading the whole book, I read the blurb on GoodReads. Here is the copy and pasted blurb.
Circular Knitting: The Most Effective Method to Knit on Circular Needles
***
“The Most Effective Methods to Knit on Using Circular Needles
If you want to know how to crochet or would want to enhance your crochet skill this is the best book for you. This book will guide you from crocheting basic stitches to joining pieces together. It is the best guide to learning the efficient way to knit using circular needle. It displays easy-to-follow guide that will make you enjoy your crochet venture even more.
Find your creative potential in crochet with this thorough book from basic steps to precise and complicated stitches. All essentials of crochet are listed with clear directions, graphs and photos. When you’ve got to grips with your hook, you’ll be treated with a variety of patterns to work for. It will motivate you to continue learning, testing and create wonderful crochet pieces.

5 Reasons to buy this book

1. The book features designs that range from traditional patterns to original themes
2. Crocheters of every level will get helpful information and inspiration on each page.
3. Each design features a photograph, a diagram displaying every single stitch and its
placement.
4. It provides easy to follow instructions
5. It provides a lot of helpful tips on changing hues and increasing shape to your projects.”
***

I wish I would have read the blurb. Do you see how often the word ‘crochet’ comes up? Intersperse that word with weave and sew, and you will see that this book teaches very little about knitting at all. Even though the pictures show knitting, they do not help prove the written instructions at all. It could very well be a language problem. Is the author British, or is this from another language and translated? I don’t know. All I know is I didn’t understand any of the instructions. It wasn’t a lack of vocabulary. I could define all the words I read. They didn’t address what I wanted from the title. I’m going back to YouTube where they don’t even need to talk. No need for a specialized lingo just how to do the hobby presented in the title.

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Review: The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become by Robert Kirkman

The Walking Dead, Vol. 10: What We Become by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’m so sad. This is the last issue that I can get on Kindle Unlimited. The rest cost more than I can afford. I have put in a request at my local e-library but had to order them. If not there I’ll try another library.

Anyway, this was a good one. A lot of the story here wasn’t in the show so it was more fun than others. Sure we met Rosita, Eugene, and Abraham. And Morgan is back! I enjoyed their stories here.

I highly recommend reading the comics this way. With Kindle, you can enlarge frames and see the artwork better and read the finer fonts. Unlimited, you can read for free if you have it.

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