TheRicanReader

Thank you NetGalley and Pen and Picture Publishing for providing an advance copy of the audio and ebook for review. All opinions are my own.  "The New Bad Thing" by Michael Ebner has inexplicably garnered rave reviews, with many praising it as riveting, engaging, exciting, action-packed, a thriller, and a page-turner. I might have agreed if I could have stomached enough of it to see if these reviewers were correct. Unfortunately, I couldn’t. The book starts off promisingly with a gripping terrorist attack at a Paris hotel, setting up what seems to be a thrilling rollercoaster ride. But then, Ebner makes the fatal mistake that too many authors do—resorting to lazy, harmful stereotypes. He dives headfirst into the tired trope of depicting Black characters as mere muscle for their "master's" whims. One of the main characters, Roman, has Black bodyguards. Predictably, one is described as a hulking, slow, and dim-witted figure, untrustworthy enough that he must wear ...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all the rage now, it has become the focal point of technological advancement with industry giants like Nvidia, Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, Meta, and others vying for supremacy. In this landscape, Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of the pioneering AI company DeepMind, delivers a sobering assessment of our AI-drive world. His urgent warning about the unprecedented risks posed by emerging technologies is both informative and unsettling.  Here is my take on the book and authors writing: The Book:  1. The phone is ringing, pick it up. This is an insightful wake up call that we all must answer. Suleyman’s exploration serves as a wake-up call. Humanity stands at an inflection point, where the fast-paced narrative reveals sobering facts about AI- what’s happening today, not decades away.   2. Suleyman posits that we’ve evolved beyond Homo sapiens. We’re now Homo technological - a fusion of human, technology, and synthetic biology. This combination deman...

As I continue my exploration into the philosophy and teachings of Stoicism, came across this gem of a book by James Harris on Roman Stoic philosopher Lucius Seneca, better known as Seneca the Younger, On The Shortness of Life written to his father-in-law Paulinus. Harris adapts Seneca's moral essay for the contemporary reader.  Here is my take on the book.  Overview: James Harris distills Lucius Seneca’s timeless wisdom into accessible language for today’s readers. In this sobering exploration of life’s brevity, Seneca emphasizes four key principles which I am working to incorporate into my own life:  1. Embrace Time: Recognize life’s fleeting nature and make intentional choices. 2. Study Philosophy: Seek wisdom to enrich your existence. 3. Avoid Distractions: Cut through the noise; focus on what truly matters. 4. Live Fully: Seize the day; discard trivialities. Harris’s Writing Style: 1. Balanced Approach: Harris maintains fidelity to Seneca’s prose while ensuring...

  I am not a Paw Patrol fan; I think the concept and stories dumb down the reading experience. That said, 3, 4, 5-year-olds love it, why, only a child's mind can know.    The book is five compact stories written by 3 authors.    Why this is important: I think the entire Paw Patrol enterprise shortchanges young readers. The stories, as usual, is about the saving of hapless, dumb witted town folks by Ryder, the super, privileged looking kid, and his mighty trusted pups. Really, give me a break. Oh, I digress. Don’t let your little one start with any of the books, movies, TV series, or games. If they have, work to break them from this dribble. If I could give this book, like all the others, zero stars, I would. 

  Book is about Batman's files on his super friends. Good for a 4-year who is getting into the superhero genre.  Book is very rudimentary, brief snippets of Batman's friends - Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Batgirl, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Cyborg, and Aquaman, and their crime fighting abilities.  Art work is okay, it depicts the super heroes in DC form, and the characters are diverse, which is good. If your child likes reading about super heroes, this is a good entry level book. 

This is a good solid read for pre-k and kindergarten age.  The story is about the day of a little girl and the special relationship she has with her mother, the bond they are creating, one that will last a lifetime.  The writing is easy to understand and the book comes in audio read-along. The illustrations are vibrant and colorful.  A good bedtime book for your little one.  A little about the author. Cozbi A. Cabrera received a BFA from Parsons School of Design. She is the illustrator of several acclaimed children’s picture books and she also designs clothes and makes cloth dolls that have garnered the attention of collectors around the world and have been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Source: Goodreads 

The Best Trick: A Pet Club Story (Stone Arch Readers - Level 2) by Gwendolyn Hooks  This is a quick read with your little one. The Best Trick is a part of the Pet Club series. The author provides an enjoyable reading experience. This is a Level 2 reading, designed to offer early readers a bit more challenge through varied simple sentences, increased text load, and less repetition of high frequency words.  The story is simple, yet enjoyable. Illustration is bright, bold, and has diverse characters which is definitely a plus as we live in a diverse society.  Good book for bedtime reading.

This is a Blastoff Readers publication. They have 5 rankings of reading levels and this book is Level 1,  meaning it provides the most support through repetition of high-frequency words, light text, predictable sentence patterns, and strong visual support.   As the title implies, this is a book about trains, the different types and uses. There is no detail regarding the actual mechanics and makeup of the trains, very high-level.    The book is geared towards kids at reading level 1, which is the beginning reader. I picked it up for a 4-year-old who loves books and wants to read, but this one was clearly not for him. While illustrative and light and easy to understand words, it was not a story, it is technical in nature. At 4, he like many I suspect, 4-year-olds want more character stories than technical like this one. That said, he was patient enough to have me read through it, but I could tell it was a bore for him.    This is a straightforward read a...

This review expresses my own personal opinion.    As the title implies, this is a book about what a helicopter is, how they operate, flying a copter, and their many uses.   The book is geared towards elementary age kids. I picked it up for a 4-year-old who was patient enough to have me read through it, but I could tell it was clearly too advanced, although he stuck with it.    This is a straightforward read, technical in nature, not story telling. It is matter of fact writing, which is what you would want for a book that is geared towards an older kid. The explanations of what a helicopter is, its mechanical makeup, operations, the pilots, and uses are crisp, direct, and easy to understand, even for a 4-year-old.    The illustrations are photos of different helicopters, some with them in use, no drawings.    This is a book that talks, which offers the ability to have your child listen on their own as the book reads itself and they turn the pa...

The Cool Bean by Jory John, Illustrations by Pete Oswald    This review expresses my own personal opinion.  This is a good book for your 3-year-old to elementary school child as the story can apply to young and older readers alike.  This is another good book by the #1 New York Times Bestselling Team Jory John (Author) and Pete Oswald (Illustrator). Jory is a bestselling author and has won the E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor twice.    As a kid and teenager, and maybe even now, many of us wanted to be the cool kid at school or at least to hang around the cool kids. This is the story of The Cool Bean who attends Beanside Elementary School where three cool beans also go. These beans have a reputation of being cool, not only at school but also in the neighborhood, all over town, and beyond county lines. These are really “cooool” beans.    The central bean character used to hang out with the cool beans when they were younger, in the same pod, but as they go...