Author: Erica

Synopsis:

Kitten wants to a break a board, and she wants to do it now. But Tae Kwon Do is not easy. Kitten must focus. She must practice. And above all, she must be patient. Will Kitten’s determination and dedication pay off when it’s finally time to break a board? Author Lisl Detlefsen delivers a turbo-charged story filled with action, fun, and encouragement. Korean phrases are intermixed throughout Catkwondo, and the Tae Kwon Do Oath and a Tae Kwon Do glossary complete this energetic picture book.

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My Review:

Delightful children’s picture book about a kitten that is learning martial arts. I enjoyed the coloring artwork and the instruction to the Korean language.     Kitten wants very much to break a wooden board, but learns that to accomplish big goals, one needs to work on little ones first.

I received an ARC from the publisher.

The theft of a friend s priceless, family-legacy Christmas ornaments brings amateur detective and culinary expert, Sadie Hoffmiller, back on the case in a new standalone cozy mystery.

This Christmas, Sadie Hoffmiller Cunningham is making a list and checking it twice. For the first time since she and Pete married five years ago, their combined families are gathering for the holidays in Fort Collins, Colorado, for a party that would make Santa and Mrs. Claus proud.

She just has to bake the famous Cunningham Candy Cane Cake, make sure the looming snowstorm doesn’t derail everyone’s travel plans, and oh, yes, solve one teensy-tiny mystery before the big day.

At ninety-four and nearly blind, Mary, Sadie’s friend and neighbor, knows this will be her last Christmas. When Sadie learns that someone has stolen antique Christmas ornaments from Mary’s tree, she vows to find the thief, no matter what. The ornaments had been appraised at more than $40,000, but they were worth even more to Mary, who had intended to bequeath them to her great-granddaughter, Joy, as a final gift.

With Pete in Arizona wrapping up a case of his own, it’s up to Sadie to question the residents of Nicholas House, where Mary lives, and deduce who had the means and the motive to steal heirloom ornaments during what should be the most wonderful time of the year.

When stories of other thefts surface, Sadie feels like she’s creating a “naughty” list that could rival Santa’s. Identifying the thief, recovering the ornaments, and restoring them to Mary’s tree in time will take a Christmas miracle and maybe a few extra-special cookies.

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My Review:

This little gem is a cozy mystery that I was given an ARC via Netgalley from the publisher.

If you want a little mystery with your Christmas cheer, check out this book. It will have you laughing. It will have you crying. This is a book about family, faith, and love.

 

A weaver’s genius ignites the envy of her peers, the possessiveness of her mill’s proprietress, and the hopes of an unborn nation. Furi knows she was born to create, but the fabric of her life otherwise weaves mysteries. These things are more than they appear: 

Shin, the gardener, with his unlikely power over life and death;
A mysterious illness with a selective death route;
Kitsuke artist Madame Sato who would fashion Furi into a reincarnation of her own dead daughter;
The princess of a figurehead emperor, who has strange loyalties to a humble gardener; and
The vaporous rumor of war with no apparent aggressor.

Spinning Silk is inspired by Japanese folklore including the love story of Orihime and Hikoboshi as well as a radical reimagining of the tsuchigumo.