By Geno McGahee

Horror and Tarot cards are a match made in heaven and it’s a combination that collides in this great release HORROR TAROT DECK AND GUIDEBOOK by Minerva Siegel, Aria Gmitter & Abigail Larson.

The presentation of this set is so good.  The box that it comes in is very eye-catching and solid.  When you open up the box, you have the contents which include the cards and the guide book.  The guide book has a breakdown of each card and their meaning and it’ll get you going with the game. 

The cards are pieces of art and I really enjoyed just going through them and appreciating the style of each card.  Even if you don’t use them in the traditional Tarot card way, they are great artwork to keep in your morbid collection.

I highly recommend this.

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By Geno McGahee

I don’t think that anyone does presentation better than National Geographic and they have put out several books that are perfect for under the tree or in the stocking this year.  Two interesting entries from them is Fetch! A How to Speak Dog Training Guide and Pounce! A How to Speak Cat Training Guide.  For pet owners with kids, this is a great gift idea.

For children, it’s a great thing for them to have an understanding for the family pet and these books are great for that, including overviews of their behavior and how to interact.  The path to training is examined and paths to success are discussed.

Along with the introduction to the animals, it goes over what their mannerisms mean.  This is going to save a lot of kids from getting clawed by their cats or bit by their dogs.   The focus of training makes a lot of sense and it’s explained from various experts that will bring success even for older pets.

These are great guides to pet ownership and behavior and it also gives suggestions for toys and activities for the pets and how to make them happy and make them the ideal pet.  The books have great images and information.  I recommend them for any families with children and pets.  These are good stocking stuffers.

BUY POUNCE ON AMAZON – CLICK HERE!

BUY FETCH ON AMAZON – CLICK HERE!

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By Geno McGahee

I don’t think that anyone does presentation better than National Geographic and they have put out several books that are perfect for under the tree or in the stocking this year.  One of them is National Geographic Kids Almanac 2021, a great resource for kids presented in an amusing and informative way.

The book is exactly what you’d expect it would be.   It features stories about animals, great and strange attractions and tons more for the children to digest.   I can picture this book being something a youngster would take with them on road trips.  After they find it under the tree in the morning and you go to have dinner at your relatives, I suspect that they will be carrying this with them.

Along with the information, they’ve included jokes and activities to add to the enjoyment.  The book covers it all and it continues to be the number one selling kid’s almanac on the planet.  After reviewing it, I can certainly see why that’s the case.

BUY THE BOOK ON AMAZON – CLICK HERE!

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By Geno McGahee

I don’t think that anyone does presentation better than National Geographic and they have put out several books that are perfect for under the tree or in the stocking this year.  One of them is Brain Candy 2.  Targeted for 8 to 12 year olds, this paperback is a great gift idea for the munchkin you’re buying for.

What kid doesn’t love animals?  When you open the book, you are immediately greeted by some zany animals that are sure to amuse the young audience that will be reading it.  The information is interesting and it’s presented in a very fun way.  The book is loaded with facts and the usage of animals and bugs in strange gear makes it a winner.

Considering that most family have pets and they can learn a lot about their little friends through this book and they’ll learn a lot more.  The book focuses mostly on animals, but there are tons of other facts.  The reader will learn a lot and the information is very interesting.

Brain Candy 2 is a great gift for any kid from 8 to 12, going into numbers, facts and trivia.  This might be a great stocking stuffer for any youngster that you’re buying for.

BUY THE BOOK ON AMAZON – CLICK HERE!

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By Geno McGahee

I don’t think that anyone does presentation better than National Geographic and they have put out several books that are perfect for under the tree or in the stocking this year.  One of them is Space Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition. 

For children 8 to 12, this book is idea for the curious mind.  It’s hard cover and 208 pages with amazing illustrations by the former Director of Science Information and Public Outreach at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics David A. Aguilar.  The information and imagery makes this book a great book for your child’s library and belongs under the tree for your child or a niece or nephew.

The book goes over what we know about space and where it all began, crossing over all the theories that we have come to embrace. It goes into how we conquered space when we landed on the moon and talks about the astronomers that started it all.  It’s a great history of our understanding of space and how far we have come and where we plan to go in the future.  This is great information.

No topic is uncovered.  Every planet and their characteristics are featured along with what else is out there.  If your kid has any interest in space, this is a great gift for them.  It’s an amazing read with great pictures and facts.  I recommend it!

BUY THE BOOK ON AMAZON – CLICK HERE!

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By Geno McGahee

I don’t think that anyone does presentation better than National Geographic and they have put out several books that are perfect for under the tree or in the stocking this year.  One of them is The Coolest Stuff on Earth: A Closer Look at the Weird, Wild and Wonderful, a hardcover book, 192 pages and just full of amazing imagery and facts that any child will love.  It’s targeted for the 8 to 12 range and my 10 year old absolutely loved this.   She actually has been going through it slowly, captivated by all the facts and pictures that she is viewing.

You open the book and get a few pages into it and you see a smiling sloth.  You immediately get a good feeling as anyone would if a sloth was smiling at you.  Even though I’m much older than the 8-12 range, I found this book quite interesting and the range of topics that it covers makes it a book that you can easily read through and walk away satisfied.

There is humor in this geared at the kids, including a beaver saying “cowabunga dude.”  The facts on animals is presented very well and done in a very interesting way.  This is a page turner. 

Kid will learn who invented pizza, the science of lightning, plenty about sports and the secrets of symbolism within currency.  For children, this is a fun read with tons of info that will keep them coming back for more. For parents, this is a learning tool presented in the best way for their kids and is also one heck of a Christmas gift. I highly recommend this one.  It will keep the kids quiet while you drink your coffee and try to wake up Christmas morning.

BUY THIS NOW ON AMAZON – CLICK HERE!

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By Geno McGahee

On July 11^th, 2009, the world lost one of the most exciting boxers ever to lace up the gloves.  Arturo “Thunder” Gatti electrified audiences with his blood and guts style, quickly becoming one of the biggest attractions in boxing.  He was so full of life that when the word got out that he committed suicide in Brazil, a shockwave was sent across the globe.  

KILLED IN BRAZIL? THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF ARTURO “THUNDER” GATTI, written by Jimmy Tobin, is an account of the life and death of the fighter and there are no punches pulled.  This is not a love letter to Gatti.  This is a serious look at his career, the turmoil, the difficult marriage and how it all ended. 

Gatti, known for wars in the ring with the likes of Mickey Ward, Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather, JR., the Italian multi-weight division champion was a superhero, but the book shows his darker side along with the bitter lawsuits between the Gatti family and widow, Amanda.

After reading KILLED IN BRAZIL? THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF ARTURO “THUNDER” GATTI, I couldn’t help but to think back about the career of the fighter.  I thought about how his energy made me feel and how much enjoyment I got out of watching his go toe to toe in the ring.  When I first heard that Gatti ended his life, I had a hard time believing it.  When things like that happen overseas, it’s easy to suspect foul play, but this mystery will remain a mystery with two sides of the debate certain in their positions.

I highly recommend KILLED IN BRAZIL? THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF ARTURO “THUNDER” GATTI.   It did a great job of introducing the fighter to non-boxing fans, bringing the reader through a journey and ending with speculation and experts on both sides of the matter.  Jimmy Tobin did a great job painting a picture, presenting available evidence and statements from those around Gatti.  I really liked this one.

BUY THE BOOK – CLICK HERE

BUY ON AMAZON – CLICK HERE

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By Geno McGahee

Boxing is a sport that is always struggling for legitimacy.  Unlike many other sports, there are no playoffs and no oversight of ranking systems or championship organizations.  The criminals thrive in the environment and it had led to many scandals and black eyes for a sport that has more than its fair share.

In SLAUGHTER IN THE STREETS: WHEN BOSTON BECAME BOXING’S MURDER CAPITAL by Don Stradley,  the connections between boxing in the 1920s through the modern times and the mob are uncovered.  Stradley does a great job in telling the story, giving the facts, and being uniquely descriptive.  The visuals painted by Stradley are remarkable and bring you right into the dark side of the sport.

The city of Boston could have been the rags to riches story for a lot of promising boxers, but the mafia bosses that ran the sport and the city were too powerful and many promising young fighters fall victim and some even lose their lives.  There are a lot of sad stories, but we also see the journey of the mobster and how their fate is often sealed by the law or by another rival that saw benefit in their demise.

SLAUGHTER IN THE STREETS: WHEN BOSTON BECAME BOXING’S MURDER CAPITAL by Don Stradley is as advertised and more.  The book chronicles the involvement of mobsters in boxing and the terrible conditions that the fighters went through to get into and stay in the sport.  It also shows the foundation that the sport was built on and why the sport of kings can’t find and maintain the legitimacy that Football and even the UFC has.   This is an education for the reader and I highly recommend it.  

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In the infancy of YouTube, a star was born.  The Venezuelan power puncher, Edwin Valero, 27-0, 27 KO’s, was an attraction with power in both hands.  He stormed on the scene and the demand arose for a showdown with the Filipino star, Manny Pacquiao. It seemed inevitable that the two would eventually meet in a high profile showdown, but it was never to be.  In 2010, the boxing world would be in for a shock as well as the entire population of Venezuela.  The champion.  The man that would give Pacquiao a competitive fight.  The champion, Edwin Valero, was charged with the murder of his wife, confessed, was arrested, and then committed suicide. This was a shock to the public and boxing fans, but not to those that knew him.

In the book: BERSERK: THE SHOCKING LIFE AND DEATH OF EDWIN VALERO” by Don Stradley, we see the building blocks that led to the madness that would write the rest of Valero story.  His obsession with his wife, the drugs and alcohol and the rocky past were all contributing factors, but there was much, much more.

The book is a study of the human nature, the sport, and the relationship between an abusive husband and his beaten wife.  Valero had a lot of support and admiration but the dark side of him is on full display here.

I highly recommend this book.  As a former fan of Valero, this proved very insightful and interesting and a very easy read.  I would have loved to see what would have happened had he not done the things he did.  The fight with Manny Pacquiao, what happened there, what happened next, but it was never to be.  The darkness of the streets, drugs and much more controlled Valero.   This is a great book that breaks it all down in great fashion.  Stradley did a great job in presenting the story and bringing the reader back to the day when Valero was the YouTube sensation and potential future big thing in the sport.

BUY THE BOOK – CLICK HERE   

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Considering that Christmas is for the kids, I have geared a lot of my Xmas gift focus and reviews on gifts for them.   A book I stumbled upon is A DRAGON ON THE ROOF by Cecile Alix and illustrated by Fred Sochard and it is quite impressive from the story to the illustrations.

The age range for the book from about 5 to 10 and concerns a young girl that sneaks into a building and meets a very special dragon and a bat that needed to be calmed down.  The dragon is ticklish and soon he unleashed a load of sea creatures that he has swallowed and it adds more characters to the book. 

A DRAGON ON THE ROOF is a great gift idea for this Xmas season for kids from 5 to 10 years in age.  The story and illustrations are very enjoyable.  I highly recommend this one.  Besides, who doesn’t love dragons?

Product Info: 

A Dragon on the Roof by Cecile Alix and illustrated by Fred Sochard (Prestel Junior; 9/24/2019; ISBN: 978-3791373911; Hardcover $14.95; Ages 4-8; 32 pages)

Buy the Book – Click Here 

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