MOVIE - Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

PG-13 (1:58)

Wide release 10/21/16

Viewed 11/9/16 at Century Park Place

RT Critic:  37  Audience:  48
Critic's Consensus:  Monotonously formulaic, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is one action thriller sequel whose title also serves as a warning.

Cag:  4.5 Really well done, liked it a lot

Directed by Edward Zwick

Paramount Pictures

Based on the book by Lee Child

Tom Cruise

My comments:  This is the one where he saves the woman who now has his old job from false accusations and they both go on the run.

RT/ IMDb Summary:  Jack Reacher must uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy in order to clear his name. On the run as a fugitive from the law, Reacher uncovers a potential secret from his past that could change his life forever.

62. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

read on my Kindle
2014 Balzer & Bray
416 pgs.
YA High fantasy
Finished 11/8/16
Goodreads rating:  4/01 - 29,851 ratings
My rating:  3

First line/s:  "Block!"
     "Where?"
      "I can't tell you where - you're supposed to follow my movements!"
      "Well then, slow down!"

My comments:  Well.  This was certainly an entertaining book.  The protagonist, Meira, has definitely become a fierce warrior in her sixteen years on earth. There's a lot of blood-and-guts battling in this book, a lot of really black hatred and evil, and a tiny bit of romance (for me, just the right amount).  The revelations are not exactly surprises, and the ending is satisfying. I'm not a big magic fan, and there are tastes and touches and revelations about it throughout. Personally, I hate winter, so the love of biting temperatures and snow and gray skies turns me completely off.  So for me, several pros and just as many cons.  Yup, I'll read the next one.

Goodreads synopsis:  Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.
          Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.
           So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

MOVIE - The Magnificent Seven

PG-13 (2:12)

Wide release 9/23/16

Viewed 11/6/16 at Century Park Place
IMBd:  7/10

RT Critic: 63   Audience:  75
Critic's Consensus:  The Magnificent Seven never really lives up to the superlative in its title -- or the classics from which it draws inspiration -- but remains a moderately diverting action thriller on its own merits.

Cag:  4, Liked it more than I should have...

Directed by Antoine Fuqua

Sony Pictures

Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Peter Sarsgaard, Matt Bomer

My comments:  The old west.  Lots of gunfights, as expected, but entertaining story.

RT/ IMDb Summary:  With the town of Rose Creek under the deadly control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue, the desperate townspeople employ protection from seven outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns - Sam Chisolm, Josh Farraday, Goodnight Robicheaux, Jack Horne, Billy Rocks, Vasquez, and Red Harvest. As they prepare the town for the violent showdown that they know is coming, these seven mercenaries find themselves fighting for more than money.

Postcards Received Thursday & Friday 11/3 and 11/4/2016

639.  Malaysia

Dear Chris, greetings from Malaysia!  So sorry to send you this PC which you unlike, but it was so adorable, right?  All the best, Onh See Min

640. Cologne, Germany

Hello Chris!

Many greetings from Germany!  My name is Melanie.  I'm 43 years old and live together with my two children in Cologne, the 4th larges city of Germany.  In my free time I love reading, knitting, swimming, and writing postcards.

All the best to you!

Melanie

641.  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Selamat Pagi!  It means Good Morning the the Malaysian language.  It is currently 29 degrees C here in the capital city, Kuala Lumpur.  Hopfully the weather is treating you nicely over there in the U. S. A.

Best, Ati

642.  Hong Kong

Hello Chris,

This is Amily writing from Hong Kong.  I'm 21 years old an I'm a law student.  I mostly sepnd my time on reading, and more reading ... this has made me quite a boring person LOL.  I wish you ALL THE BEST!

Amily

643.  Hildesheim, Germany

Hello Chris,

I'm Holger, a teacher of maths and ethics, married father of two sons.  We live in a 164 years old house with our own library.

Best wishes, Holger

61. Family Tree by Susan Wiggs

read on my Kindle
2016, William Morrow
368 pgs.
Adult "romance" CRF
Finished 11/3/16
Goodreads rating:  4.07 - 2,001 ratings
My rating: 3
Setting: Contemporary rural Vermont

First line/s:  "I can't believe we're arguing about a water buffalo."

My comments:   Okay.  This is definitely a "romance fiction."  Not my cuppa tea. At all.  That said, there were components of the book that I liked.  The way it was written, back and forth - from "now" to "then."  The setting, rural Vermont.  I liked the premise of coming out of a coma, of having brain injury, but I had mixed feelings about Annie's slow (and fast!) coming around after being asleep for a year. I am also not a cook, but I think all the cooking talk would be a huge plus for some. A quick, easy read...nothing to figure out, every scenario ending in pretty much the expected way.  A well-written romance for lovers of that genre.

Goodreads synopsis:  For readers of Kristin Hannah and Jodi Picoult comes a powerful, emotionally complex story of love, loss, the pain of the past—and the promise of the future.
          Sometimes the greatest dream starts with the smallest element. A single cell, joining with another. And then dividing. And just like that, the world changes.
          Annie Harlow knows how lucky she is. The producer of a popular television cooking show, she loves her handsome husband and the beautiful Manhattan home they share. And now, she’s pregnant with their first child.
          But in an instant, her life is shattered. And when Annie awakes from a year-long coma, she discovers that time isn’t the only thing she's lost.
          Grieving and wounded, Annie retreats to her old family home in Switchback, Vermont, a maple farm generations old. There, surrounded by her free-spirited brother, their divorced mother, and four young nieces and nephews, Annie slowly emerges into a world she left behind years ago: the town where she grew up, the people she knew before, the high-school boyfriend turned ex-cop. And with the discovery of a cookbook her grandmother wrote in the distant past, Annie unearths an age-old mystery that might prove the salvation of the family farm.
          Family Tree is the story of one woman’s triumph over betrayal, and how she eventually comes to terms with her past. It is the story of joys unrealized and opportunities regained. Complex, clear-eyed and big-hearted, funny, sad, and wise, it is a novel to cherish and to remember.

60. Blackman's Coffin by Mark de Castrique

read on my Kindle and listened to using Whisper-Sync on Audible
2008 Poisoned Pen Press
255 pgs.
Adult Murder Mystery
Finished 11/2/16
Goodreads rating:  3.94 - 545 ratings
My rating: 4 - I liked it a whole lot
Setting: Contemporary Asheville, North Carolina (with forays back to 1919 via a journal)

First line/s:  "I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking me awake.   'Now you can pass as a local.  They've all got one leg shorter than the other.  Comes from being raised on the side of a mountain.'"

My comments:  This was one of the first purchases I made when I started using Bookbub, which has introduced me to all sorts of authors that I've never heard of before.  I definitely liked Sam Blackman and his investigative prowess.  He has lost much of a leg serving in Iraq, and we meet him while he is ending his rehabilitation in Asheville, North Carolina.  I've been to Asheville several times and have extremely fond memories - of traversing onto and off the Blue Ridge Parkway, of visiting the Biltmore Estate, and of poking around.  I got to do more poking around while reading this book - the setting of Asheville takes a front seat, as does the writing of Thomas Wolfe and great history of the early 20th century including geology and gem-mining.  Excellent mystery.  I'm hoping the setting stays in Asheville, I look forward to more books in the series.

Goodreads synopsis:  What's really hidden beneath Asheville's rich history? Sam Blackman is an angry man. (NOTE from Muddy Puddle:  I didn't consider Sam Blackman an angry man at all...) A Chief Warrant Officer in the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the U.S. military, he lost a leg in Iraq. His outspoken criticism of his medical treatment resulted in his transfer to the Veteran's Hospital in Asheville, NC. Then an ex-marine and fellow amputee named Tikima Robertson walks into his hospital room.Tikima hints that she has an opportunity for Sam to use his investigative skills--if he can stop feeling sorry for himself. But before she can return, Tikima is murdered, her body found floating in the river. Tikima's sister, Nakayla, brings Sam a journal she finds in Tikima's apartment. The volume dates to 1919 and contains the entries of a twelve-year-old boy who accompanies his father, a white funeral director, as they help a black man, Elijah Robertson, transport his deceased relative to a small family plot in Georgia. Nearly ninety years ago, Elijah's body was found in the French Broad River, a crime foreshadowing the death of his great-great granddaughter--Tikima's.Sam and Nakayla must devle into Asheville's rich history, the legacy of the Vanderbilts at the Biltmore estate and of author Tom Wolfe, to uncover the murderous truth. Blackman's Coffin starts a new series by Mark de Castrique, author of the critically-acclaimed Buryin' Barry Mysteries. 

Postallove Cards Received

Instead of Numerical Order, these cards have been put in Alphabetical Order by country

738.  Innsbruck,  Austria

Wie geht es di dena heult so...Hello, how are you today?  I'm happy today is a postcrossing meeting in Innsbruck and that's great  I like to spend time with people who love postcards so much as a I do!  We have a lot of fun here together.  My name is Susii, I'm 35 years old and I live in a small village with only 2000 inhabitants near Vienna.  All the best and many greetings, (Signed by at least a dozen people form 

"Postcrossing Meet-Up Innsbruck: November 19, 2016

910.  Canada

Hey Chris, I live to travel too!!  I've been to about 29 countries so far (including your beautiful country) and I'm not looking to stop anytime soon.  Hope you like this postcard.

467.  China

I am sending my first card from postcardunited.  I also do "postcrossing."  Do you know that?  There are more than 540,000 postcrossing users.

     I hop[e the greetings from card will make you day.

     I just read The DaVinci Code.  Excellent book! (heart)

914.  Beijing, China

Hi Chris, Greetings from Guangzhou, China.  My name is Amy.  I hope you will love this unofficial GF Beijing.  Best wishes to you, Amy.  2017/08/16

930.  Czech Republic

Hi Chris, My name is Michaela and I'm 20 y.o.  I live in the Czech Republic, in Prerov.  I'm studying math and physics.  I would be a teacher in secondary school.  Happy postcrossing! (Startny postcrossing!)  All the best?  (Vri nejlipsi) 

1008.  Finland

Have a nice day!  Merja

628.  Greetings from Germany

Many greetings from germany.  I am 37 years old and I like to play accordian in my free time.  I also like to write letters, meet my friends, travel.  All the best, Bianca

718.  Bavaria (in Germany)

My name is Bettina and I live with my family in the most beautiful state of Germany, in Bavaria.

847.  Karbala, Hungary

2017.07.19

I'm sending my warmest greetings to you from Karbla, Hungary.  I hope you are well and you will like this card.  I wish you all the best to this summer! Kriana

1120.  India

Hi Chris, I am a 3 year old boy (and the photo attached is of a 3 year old boy!)from Kerala, the southern state of India.  Sending you this PL card.  Hope you like it.  With warm regards, Thomas

776.  Cork, IRELAND

Greetings from a beautiful and green Ireland.  My name is Ivone.  I am Polish but over 11 years live in Ireland.  I love this fantastic island but miss for my home in Poland.  I love to travel, make pictures, read books and postcards.  Ivone.

689.  Hello from Korea!

My name is Eunji and I live in Ilsan, 12 miles from Seoul.  Hope you like this GF Korea card.  The place on the card is an artificial pond called Arapji.  It was constructed in the 7th century.  Happy postcrossing!  Best.  Eunji

 

685.  Lithuania

2016 . 11 . 08

Sueiki!  Hello!  Greeting from Lietuva, Lithuania.  I hope you will like this postcard.  Have a nice day!  Daiva

510.  Luxembourg, August 18, 2016
 A Postallove Card!
Dear Chris, I send you the postcard from Luxembourg-city.  My hobbies are art, photography, and travelling to Paris (only 2 hours by high speed train).  I wish you all the best.  Many greetings!
Jean Moni

624.  Greetings from Malaysia

Hello, my name is REgine and my nickname is green tea.  As I love to drink green tea very much since I was 13 during secondary school.  I am now 21, studying graphic design courses in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.  I've just finished my internship program in holiday tours ! ! ! ! !

679.  Tumpat in Malaysia

Hello!  I have been to Tumpat only once.  It's a nice place for a vacation because it's close to Thailand.  If you drive from Kuala Lumpur, the journey will take at least 7 hours.  Natasha.

853.  Capelle Old Yssel, Netherlands

My name is Demeka.  I live in Capelle Old Yssel near Rotterdam with my boyfriend and 4 cats.  I wish you all the best!  18-7-2017

963.  New Zealand

Kia Ova Chris! (Hello in Maori)  Welcome to New Zealand.  I hope this card is a welcome addition to your collection.  Susan 23rd Sept. 2017

1023.  Norway

Card sent from Germany

Dear Chris, I hope you won't be disappointed to learn that I sent you this card from Germany, not from Norway.  I had planned a 3-week-long trip to Norway this summer but unfortunately had to cancel the journey because I got very sick.  I've been learning the Norwegian language for 8 months and hope I can travel there next year of even find a job as a preschool teacher one day.  It's great that you got to spend nost of your life on an island - this would be another dream of mine!  All the best, Silvi

31.10.17

1173.  Philippines

Hello Chris, Maayong adlaw!  (Good day!)  

Here's a GF card for your collection.  I just got back from a mail hiatus over the holidays and I have a lot of catching up to do.  One card at a time!  Have a great day.

867.  Poland

Hello Chris.  My name is Susan, I'm 34 and live in Poland.  I'm interested in fitness and a healthy lifestyle.  I love coffee, postcrossing and reading books.  2017-07-31

AND

1972.  Poland

Hello, My name is Barbara and I live in a small town in the southern Poland.  I love books especially classic ones, detective stories, and popular science about nature etc.  I'f just finished "The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly.  It's about a young girl who lives in American in the turn of the 19th and 20th century.  Very interesting!  Best Wishes,

ALSO

1072.  POLAND

Autumn greetings from Poland!  This card background shows my favourite region in Poland - Tatra Mountains!  I love to visit them whenever I have an opportunity!  Olga.

477. Romania - Bucharest

Dear Chris,

This is one of the eight UNESCO painted churches in Romania, unique for the 500 years old paintings all ove their external walls. 

Regards, Marius

995.  Serbia

Hello!  My name is Anna, 32 Y.O. I live near Novisad in North Serbia.  It is hot here and we have many fruits.

638.  Greetings from Slovakia

Hello Chris!  I'm sending kind greetings from Slovakia, small country oin the heart of Europe.  

Best wishes!  Alena

1157.  Taiwan

Here's a "Greetings from Taiwan" for you.  Happy Postcrossing!

AND

903.  Hsinchu City, Taiwan

Hi!  I'm Apple.  I come from Taiwan, live in Hsinchu City.  It's a small and beautiful place.  I hope you like this postcard.  2017.8.18

1957.  Greetings from the UNITED KINGDOM

Greetings from England, Chris!  I'm Adam, I'm 24 and i'm currently studying for master's in Latin American Studies  On the 24th I'll go to Brazil to do some research.  Happy (early/belated) Birthday!

MOVIE - Bridget Jones's Baby

R (2:03)

Wide release 9/16/16

Viewed 11/1/16 at Century Gateway
IMBd:  6.9/10

RT Critic: 76   Audience: 73
Critic's Consensus:  Bridget Jones's Baby might be late on arrival, but fans of the series should still find its third installment a bouncing bundle of joy.

Cag:  4/Liked it a lot

Directed by Sharon Maguire

Working Title

Colin Furth, Patrick Dempsey, Renee Zellweger, Emma Thompson

My comments:  I really didn't expect to like this movie (the trailers I saw led me to that conclusion), but I went anyways, because I LOVE Colin Furth.  So glad I did....it turned out to be very funny, and quite good, actually!

RT/ IMDb Summary:  Oscar (R) winners Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth are joined by Patrick Dempsey for the next chapter of the world's favorite singleton in Bridget Jones's Baby. Directed by Sharon Maguire (Bridget Jones's Diary), the new film in the beloved comedy series based on creator Helen Fielding's heroine finds Bridget unexpectedly expecting. After breaking up with Mark Darcy (Firth), Bridget Jones's (Zellweger) "happily ever after" hasn't quite gone according to plan. Fortysomething and single again, she decides to focus on her job as top news producer and surround herself with old friends and new. For once, Bridget has everything completely under control. What could possibly go wrong? Then her love life takes a turn and Bridget meets a dashing American named Jack (Dempsey), the suitor who is everything Mr. Darcy is not. In an unlikely twist she finds herself pregnant, but with one hitch...she can only be fifty percent sure of the identity of her baby's father.

PICTURE BOOK - I am Rosa Parks by Brad Meltzer

Ordinary People Change the World series
Illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulis

2014 Dial Books for Young Readers

HC & paper

40 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 4.42 - 430 ratings

My rating: 5

Endpapers:  Yellow with repeated white bus imprint (pale)

1^st line/s:  "I am Rosa Parks.  Growing up, I was small for my age.  I was sick a lot too, since we didn't have money for a doctor.  But that didn't mean I was weak."

My comments:  This is the second book I've read in this Brad Meltzer biography series for kids.  He does an exceptional job, and the mixture of text and graphic-novel-like speech clouds has been a surefire hit for all the kids I've shared these books with.  This one is more about the civil rights movement including Rosa Parks' huge part in it than her actual life (not a problem) - it's a wonderful overview and starting place for young kids on the roots of the civil right movement!  Real photos of Ms. Parks at the end.

Goodreads:  “Kids always search for heroes, so we might as well have a say in it,” Brad Meltzer realized, and so he envisioned this friendly, fun approach to biography – for his own kids, and for yours. Each book tells the story of one of America’s icons in a vivacious, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers, those who aren’t quite ready for the Who Was biography series. Each book focuses on a particular character trait that made that role model heroic. For example, Rosa Parks dared to stand up for herself and other African Americans by staying seated, and as a result she helped end public bus segregation and launch the country’s Civil Rights Movement.

PICTURE BOOK - Dorothea's Eyes by Barb Rosenstock

Illustrated by Gerard DuBois

2016 Calkins Creed, Honesdale, PA (an Imprint of Highlights)

HC $16.99

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  4.11 - 167 ratings

My rating:  4

Endpapers:  large dotted background with the same camera-on-legs repeated over and over

Dedications:  "For my grandfather - BR"
     "For my sister, with love - GD"

1^st line/s:  "Dorothea opens her grey-green eyes.  They are special eyes.  They see what others miss."

My comments:  Nice introduction for kids of the life of Dorothea Lange - what drove her and the type of photos she took.  It touches upon the developing of them, but I wish this had been mentioned, and explained, a bit more to help inform our kids in this digital age.  Although prone to sickness and always dealing with the polio she endured as a child, she is an active photographer in the streets and fields of the Depression.  At the end of the book there is a sampling of six of her photos - including "Migrant Mother."  An afterword, selected bibliography and two-page timeline are added touches at the end of the book.  A great model for researching and teaching.

Goodreads:  After a childhood bout of polio left her with a limp, all Dorothea Lange wanted to do was disappear. But this desire not to be seen helped her learn how to blend into the background and observe others acutely. With a passion for the artistic life, and in spite of her family’s disapproval, Dorothea pursued her dream to become a photographer and focused her lens on the previously unseen victims of the Great Depression. This poetic biography tells the emotional story of Lange’s evolution as one of the founders of documentary photography. It includes a gallery of Lange’s photographs, and an author’s note, timeline, and bibliography.

59. The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

listened to on Audible
2016, Katherine Tegen Books
344 pgs.
YA CRF (older YA)
Finished 11/1/16
Goodreads rating:  4/27 - 1470 ratings
My rating:  4 (As brilliant as it is, somehow I can't quite give it a 5. Not sure why...)

My comments:  To be quite truthful, I'm not exactly sure what to think of this book or how to rate it.  I knew from the beginning it would not have a "good" ending.  It's a book about rape and abuse and discusses sex and sexuality unsparingly.  The story is told in three very distinct, reliable voices.  It's a heartbreaking book.
         These are the words of Emily May, a Goodreads reviewer who I really enjoy (although we don't always agree).  This is exactly what I was thinking, so why put it in my own words?

     BRUTAL. That's how I would describe this book. It sits there all unassuming with its cute yellow cover and pictures of animals, but underneath it has some serious fangs. Rather like the female of the species, I suppose.
     Quick warning: this book may not be suitable to those sensitive to rape and/or animal cruelty. Make no mistake, it's a nasty book. At times it's absolutely disgustingly awful. But it's a very sharp and effective look at sexual assault and rape culture too. And somehow so fucking funny. Well, maybe if you have a sadistic sense of humour, which it turns out I do.
     I don't even know how to adequately explain it. The Female of the Species is told from the perspective of three different characters - Alex, whose sister was raped and murdered; Jack, the popular guy who desperately wants to get to know Alex; and Peekay, the preacher's kid whose ex-boyfriend ditched her for the beautiful Branley, and who now works at the animal shelter with Alex.

Goodreads synopsis:  Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence.
          While her crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people, even in her small hometown. She relegates herself to the shadows, a girl who goes unseen in plain sight, unremarkable in the high school hallways.
         But Jack Fisher sees her. He’s the guy all other guys want to be: the star athlete gunning for valedictorian with the prom queen on his arm. Guilt over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered hasn’t let him forget Alex over the years, and now her green eyes amid a constellation of freckles have his attention. He doesn’t want to only see Alex Craft; he wants to know her.
         So does Peekay, the preacher’s kid, a girl whose identity is entangled with her dad’s job, though that does not stop her from knowing the taste of beer or missing the touch of her ex-boyfriend. When Peekay and Alex start working together at the animal shelter, a friendship forms and Alex’s protective nature extends to more than just the dogs and cats they care for.
         Circumstances bring Alex, Jack, and Peekay together as their senior year unfolds. While partying one night, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting the teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.

Postcards Received Tuesday, 11-1-16

634.  Russia

Best Wishes for you!

635.  Greetings from New Hampshire

Hello!  Glad I can send you a card.  Hard to believe that it's close to the end of the year already. 

Enjoy, Kimba

636.  Hong Kong

Hello!  I am Yoghurt from Hong Kong.  Hope you enjoy this card.  It is as big as my iPad.  It is Autumn here.  The temperature startsw to go down.  It's great to have a sleep in this weather!  But not for those students or workers who have to wake up early~

637.  Jawa Timur,  Indonesia

Hello, Greetings to you.   Hope you'll be elated by this card.

638.  Greetings from Slovakia

Hello Chris!  I'm sending kind greetings from Slovakia, small country oin the heart of Europe.  

Best wishes!  Alena

MOVIE - Inferno

PG-13 (2:02)

Wide release 10/27/16

Viewed Roadhouse on Halloween with Cyra!

RT Critic:  20  Audience:  43
Critic's Consensus:  Senselessly frantic and altogether shallow, Inferno sends the Robert Langdon trilogy spiraling to a convoluted new low.

Cag:  3/Liked it once I started understanding what was going on....but not great

Directed by Ron Howard

Sony Pictures

Based on the book by Dan Brown

Tom Hanks, Ben Foster, Felicity Jones

My comments:  For the first third of the movie I was totally and completely confused, as I imagine anyone watching this would be, unless perhaps they'd read the book.  There were three or four different factions of people working against?? with?? each other and major flashbacks.  As it slowly started making sense I enjoyed it more.  You had to really pay attention, and it would help if one had a tiny sense of 

RT/ IMDb Summary:  Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon in director Ron Howard and screenwriter David Koepp's adaptation of author Dan Brown's bestselling novel Inferno, which finds Langdon using Dante's The Divine Comedy as a tool in the race to prevent a devastating global pandemic. 

PICTURE BOOK - I am Lucille Ball by Brad Meltzer

Ordinary People Change the World Series
Illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulous

2015, Penguin Random House

40 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  4.37 - 223 ratings

My rating: 5 stars

Endpapers: Washed out red with white "stamps" of old fashioned tv camera

1^st line/s:  "I am Lucille Ball.  When I was a little girl, my mother tried to dress me in ribbons and bows.  But I was different from other girls.  My idea of fun was horsing around with my dad."

My comments:  Told in the first person, this telling of Lucy's childhood, perseverance, and positivity is inspiring!  It includes actual historical facts - giving young kids access to information that is rarely rendered at their level.  I really applaud this biography for young 'uns.  Top notch!
     It looks like this is the beginning of a series, all with the same author and illustrator.  Bravo!

Goodreads:  “Kids always search for heroes, so we might as well have a say in it,” Brad Meltzer realized, and so he envisioned this friendly, fun approach to biography—for his own kids, and for yours. Each book tells the story of one of America’s icons in a vivacious, conversational way that works well for the youngest nonfiction readers, those who aren’t quite ready for the Who Was biography series. Each book focuses on a particular character trait that made that role model heroic. For example, Lucille Ball could make any situation funny. By making people around the world laugh, she proved that humor can take on anything.
          This engaging series is the perfect way to bring American history to life for young children, providing them with the right role models, supplementing Common Core learning in the classroom, and best of all, inspiring them to strive and dream.

Other books in the series:

Helen Keller

Jane Goodall

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jackie Robinson

Amelia Earhart

George Washington

Rosa Parks

Albert Einstein

Abraham Lincoln

Jim Henson

Sacagawea