Until Thanksgiving (Holiday Tales Book 1)

Until Thanksgiving

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This one, though, may be a winner. It MAY be a winner. I bought my copy used through Amazon. When it arrived, my children gathered around my knee and we began to test it's pages. Being a used copy, I expected a little wear and tear, but cute little "Amy" simply wrote her name on the inside flap. The pages were perfectly crisp and clean Goo I've been searching for some quality Thanksgiving Season children's books Your parents have clearly shown you the correct way to handle a book!

The story is quite cute though slightly repetitive I will allow for some of this in children's books and the pictures are sweet. The story builds up to a climax as we worry about what will happen to this mouse when Why have you ripped out the final and most important page in this most promising book? Until further notice, I have assumed the best ending and based my rating on how I think this book should end.

Oct 28, Dolly rated it liked it Recommends it for: Finally got around to reading this Thanksgiving tale Our girls weren't interested in reading this book - they thought it looked too 'babyish' for them and I kind of forgot about it until just now. The narrative is humorous and has a cumulative build, adding each morsel of food to the list as the mouse spies it and puts it on top of the pile. The illustrations are cartoonish and fun, too. I liked the ending, although it was a bit predictable. This book was fe Finally got around to reading this Thanksgiving tale This book was featured as one of the selections for the November Nov 06, Kimberly rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is our favorite new find this year!

It is the tale of a little mouse who quietly waits in his hidey-hole until the Thanksgiving meal is completed and everyone is either sleeping or playing. He sneaks onto the table and it happy to discover a few leftovers that he slowly collects in hopes of making a special feast for himself. My daughter loves the illustrations and hearing how the tiny mous This is our favorite new find this year! My daughter loves the illustrations and hearing how the tiny mouse stacks the food that he gathers.

I personally love the repetition and the descriptive vocabulary throughout the entire book. It also includes a great lesson on greed, not taking more that you need and being thankful and content for what you have. Oct 17, RachelAnne rated it liked it Shelves: A little mouse ventures forth to scrounge a lone pea from the table after Thanksgiving dinner. After all, he's little, and "one will be a feast for me. Each time he adds just one to his armload: I love the message of being satisfied with enough, rather than pursuing excess.

The painted illustrations are warm and appealing. It's a solid Thanksgiving storytime choice. Somehow, though, it just doesn't hit that sweet-spot for me. Nov 27, Lynda rated it it was amazing Shelves: Such a cute little mouse who took more than he could really carry. My 5yo requests repeated readings of this book and seems to enjoy the illustrations and the big mess.

Nov 24, Pam rated it it was amazing Shelves: Good Thanksgiving picture books are hard to find. Unfortunately wedged between two much more exciting holidays of Halloween and Christmas, Thanksgiving has become neglected. But this book by Judy Cox and illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler is great.

This humorous tension driven story would be great read aloud. Parents can even incorporate having their children try balancing some items to experience the challenge Mouse faced. And the surprise ending shows that we always have something to be thankful f Good Thanksgiving picture books are hard to find. And the surprise ending shows that we always have something to be thankful for! Nov 15, e.

I have spent a lot of time looking for a picture book that really captures the spirit of Thanksgiving my favorite holiday. This is my favorite book so far. It is a wholesome Thanksgiving day adventure tale for a little mouse who tries to take more than he needs and ends up running into a cat-astrophe. The illustrations are lovely and I enjoyed the family in the background snoozing after a Thanksgiving feast.

Though the story is subdued children will be rooting for the mouse all the way. Thanks I have spent a lot of time looking for a picture book that really captures the spirit of Thanksgiving my favorite holiday. Thanksgiving books largely talk about the holiday historically or focus on turkeys running away from farmers. There aren't many that capture the spirit of being thankful for what we have rather than always wanting more, more, more in a fun, heartwarming way children can understand and enjoy.

The only thing that might not my rating down to a 4. It shows the happy mouse enjoying his one pea feast, but he's alone. I understand why it ends that way you can't share one pea between a whole family of mice and it doesn't bother my 5 year-old, but to me Thanksgiving is about gratitude and being with those you love so I'm always a little sad at the last page.

Nov 21, Sayda Mitchell-Morales rated it liked it.

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I enjoyed seeing mouse push his luck until his greed had negative consequences. My only issue is the depiction of Thanksgiving as an Anglo holiday. Nov 20, Mely rated it liked it Shelves: Cute Thanksgiving theme, but very simple. It was nice to read once. A little mouse gets a bit greedy as he gathers his feast in this fun Thanksgiving story. I loved the illustrations, especially the fun perspectives. It was a hit with the first grade. Nov 09, Kylie Moffat rated it really liked it. I read this book with a class of second graders and they thought it was really funny.

Oct 19, Jocelyn marked it as to-read Shelves: From Horn Book review: Overindulging at Thanksgiving is as much a part of the celebration as cornucopia centerpieces. For Mouse, though, feasting could end with more serious consequences than an overextended stomach. Bright acrylic paintings from multiple perspectives show Mouse, his large From Horn Book review: Bright acrylic paintings from multiple perspectives show Mouse, his large glasses not quite resting on his ears, juggling an increasingly unwieldy mountain of food.

Feb 28, Shelby added it Shelves: He was amazed by all the leftovers on the table, just one cranberry is enough. That was a feast for the little mouse. Then one olive, pea, carrot, scoop of mash potatoes, gravy boat, slice of pie and so on and so fourth until he had one of everything. The cat was watching mouse ran after causing mouse to drop everything waking everyone in the house. Cat got in trouble for making a mess and swept out the door while mouse enjoyed his pea. I really enjoyed this book, the colors were great and the storyline was interesting.

The pictures of the Thanksgiving dinner did make me a little hungry. This book would be a fun class read before sending the students off on Thanksgiving Break. It could carry into a conversation about what they will eat or do on Thanksgiving just to see the diversity in the classroom.

It would also be fun to talk about what the animals do p, if the students have any. Nov 22, Katie Williams added it Shelves: This is a holiday book that can be used to either teach how adjectives or descriptive words are used and to encourage students to use these in their writing. There is also a math element to it as the mouse starts off by picking one simple pea off of the table and starts to choose just ONE more thing, eventually stacking his figurative plate way to full or high if you want to do measurments.

With the measurement idea, the teacher could make a measurement chart in inches with cut out labeled p This is a holiday book that can be used to either teach how adjectives or descriptive words are used and to encourage students to use these in their writing. With the measurement idea, the teacher could make a measurement chart in inches with cut out labeled pictures of each food item he gets. As the teacher reads the book, a child can have on of the food items and when their food item is mentioned in the story they can put their picture of the chart, stacking each one on top of the other.

At the end, they will measure how high the mouse stacked his food! A good kindergarten or first grade activity. Nov 28, Eva Leger rated it liked it Shelves: The little mouse is just the cutest and there is a nice little lesson tucked in that makes for what could be great conversations at the end. The ending can lead right into the talk which is nice.

The little mouse in the story comes out after Thanksgiving dinner to see all the leftover food on the table. He decides to take one pea because, after all, one pea is a feast to a mouse. As he's leaving with hia pea he se 3. As he's leaving with hia pea he sees dish after dish after dish and he can't help himself. He starts stacking, stacking, stacking, food and dishes holding food all on top of his little pea. When he's finally through and has everything he wants he starts home only to be faced with the cat. In the end, the mouse ends up with one little pea, just what he needed.

Jul 02, J-Lynn rated it it was amazing Shelves: This story has an adorable little mouse who finds a Thanksgiving feast after the humans have eaten, but when he gets greedy, he alerts the cat of the house. The mouse stacks every new food item he finds in a precarious tower of treats and every other page repeats what he finds like the 12 Days of Christmas chorus. In the end, he has to settle for one pea, but he is happy because it is a feast for him.

Ebbeler's illustrations are whimsical and fun, portraying multiple perspectives. The paintings This story has an adorable little mouse who finds a Thanksgiving feast after the humans have eaten, but when he gets greedy, he alerts the cat of the house. The paintings are a combination of acrylic paint, pastels, and colored pencils and do a great job of showing shadow, scale, and motion.

Two full page spreads near the middle of the story are the highlight of the book--one shows the mouse underneath his tower of food and the other opens to a wide panorama of the cats face with the mouse in the center of the frame. It's such a sweet, cosy book, enjoyable in a lowkey, relaxing way. I'm not sure why but I loved it.

I mean there are quite a few things there that would make me roll my eyes in any other book, and yet here I found them cute and endearing. There is very little drama in this book. But I wasn't bored even for a moment while reading it. It has quite an amazing sense of time and place There It's such a sweet, cosy book, enjoyable in a lowkey, relaxing way. There are some books that can be read like a guide how to make yourself miserable; well, 'Until Thankgiving' can be considered a guide how to make yourself happy, or at least content Every character is extremely likeable well, except for the serial killer but I have to admit I kinda felt sorry for him.

Even Josh's female best friend God, I usually hate them: Both Josh and Thad are such nice guys, and it was pleasant to watch them work their way to each other. And Uncle Philip, oh, he was sure the star of this book. He probably took the edge off what little drama Josh and Thad could have had in their relationship but at the same time it kinda felt good, his presence was very calming.

On the other hand, now I'm a little afraid to read other Michael Rupured's books because they appear to be a lot angstier; so maybe I'll wait till I need a little sadness in my life I discovered Michael Rupured through his blog and have been an avid reader ever since. So, despite the fact that this is nowhere near my usual genre, I was first in line to grab a copy of this book when it came out.

I don't regret it. Every single character, including background characters you never see again had a unique and fully fleshe I discovered Michael Rupured through his blog and have been an avid reader ever since. Every single character, including background characters you never see again had a unique and fully fleshed out voice. I had no trouble picturing anyone.

The setting was described so well I didn't even have to close my eyes to see it.

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The protagonist was relatably self conscious and endearing and the romance of the story was very sweet. As if all that wasn't enough, there's a very intriguing suspense involving a serial killer! There are some pretty graphic sex scenes, which is a given for this genre, and there's some minor drug use but nothing felt gratuitous. I would buy this book again and anything else by this writer.

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Can't wait for the next one! Jan 10, Liz Winters rated it liked it Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was a great story idea that unfortunately didn't quite live up to its full potential. I have a bit of an insecure MC fetish, so I really liked Josh and the slower introduction to all the characters, and especially his relationship with Linda and Linda's subsequent friendship with Thad.

I also appreciated the realism of Josh's behavior when he arrived in DC before he got together with Thad. However, I thought that the mystery and suspense could easily have been drawn out, making the book mor This was a great story idea that unfortunately didn't quite live up to its full potential. However, I thought that the mystery and suspense could easily have been drawn out, making the book more exciting and compelling, and view spoiler [I didn't really feel the love between Thad and Josh as much as I would have liked when they got together and felt their eventual engagement was too rushed.

I'll definitely check out future books from this author. Jan 06, Becky Condit rated it really liked it.

I really really enjoyed reading this debut novel by Michael Rupured. He has crafted a superb and very well written story with multi-dimensional characters combined with an richly detailed portrayal of life as a gay man in the Dupont Circle of Washington DC. Throw in the suspense of someone commiting murder and a lusty sense of passion with overcoming past mistakes and a hope of future happiness, and you have an excellent start to what I see as a bright future for this talented author.

Please see I really really enjoyed reading this debut novel by Michael Rupured. Please see Trish's complete review on January 14, at http: Jan 03, Cathy rated it it was amazing. I was hooked on the first page, which is an absolute must for me. And quite frustrated that I didn't have time to read the entire book in one sitting!!

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This was my first read in this genre, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The story line was both sweet and suspenseful, the main characters very likeable, and the ease with which I could picture the D.

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I can't wait for the next book! Congratulations, Michael, on a job well done!!! I'm at the beginning of chapter 8 and perhaps I'm too stuffy, but I have a problem with this pot smoking throughout the book. No problem with once or twice, but for this guy it's like drinking a glass of wine in the evening. Everytime I'm just getting into the story - wham, pot! At least for this reader. The whole beginning felt depressing and I don't want to read depressing: Dec 20, Blue Bayou.

Well good for Michael Rupured that he had has first novel published. I hate to diminish that accomplishment with a bad review but yeah it wasn't that good. It wasn't bad, sorta. The two MC's take forever to get together, literally the last pages. Beyond that, Josh, who we follow the entire story has just come out of a 17 year relationship and is damn near jumping into a brand new relationship with Thad the story leads you to believe they are friends for months. The problem is the timelines of Josh's dates then the lead up the assault do not add up to months.

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Thad as never been in a serious relationship, ever, and still lives with his uncle and Josh doesn't want to move in with Thad because Josh doesn't want to be dependent. Umm, Thad kettle hello pot. I found myself flipping through boring mental calisthenics that seems juvenile for men in their mid to late 30's. The murder mystery was actually truly sad and had that storyline been fleshed out, That would have been one hellava story all by itself. The romance was blah, no spark, no 'bow chickee wowow'. And a romance really needs that. This book should be enjoyed for what it is.

One Is a Feast for Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale

First let me say it is not a mystery or who-dun-it. It has elements of romance, but at its core it is really the story of a man and his journey to self-discovery. For most of his life, Josh has been happily sheltered from many of the mundane aspects of real life first by his mother, then by his boyfriend, Ben and always by best friend Linda…although, she continually tries to push him out of the nest.

Rather than This book should be enjoyed for what it is. Rather than delving into his innermost desires too deeply, he opts for what is comfortable, stable. A bad breakup with boyfriend Ben, after 17 years together, pushes him to make some changes in his life. He goes from the limited experiences of gay life in Lexington, KY to the smorgasbord that is gay life in Washington, DC. Michael Rupured has brought together a very believable cast of characters with credible life experiences.

The friendships are endearing and the love story is realistic, yet sweet. But there is also a killer on the loose and there is action aplenty. The story quite literally ends with a bang in more ways than one. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and highly recommend it. Mar 18, Erik Twisk rated it really liked it.

I received this book from Michael because of my win at the power of love giveaway. And before I started this book I read some of the review on goodreads. I have to say I really liked it. If you expect a real romantic book or a detective it can be that you don't like it. If you like books about a I received this book from Michael because of my win at the power of love giveaway. If you like books about a gay men with so romance, some "detective parts" and more this book is great.

Yesterday evening I was reading this book and I had to read 60 more pages and didn't want to stop reading but my eyes closed so I had to stop, the first thing i did this morning was starting reading the book and didn't stop until finished. I'm already lookinhg forward to read the other books Michael Rupured has written. Dec 25, Jae Moran rated it did not like it Shelves: All negative stereotypes of gay community. Aug 03, Sara Testarossa rated it really liked it Shelves: It took me months to get to writing this review, because it was hard to articulate my thoughts on this book.

Because of my many thoughts, this is long, so I'll write the tl;dr version first: I liked this book, it was enjoyable. There were a few things I didn't like about it but not enough to make me dislike it as a whole. I like the first book in the series written after better, because that one was really awesome.

But this one is still quite good. This is Micha It took me months to get to writing this review, because it was hard to articulate my thoughts on this book. This is Michael Rupured's first novel, and the second book of his I have read. The first was After Christmas Eve , which takes place before this book chronologically in the loosely grouped series that also includes Happy Independence Day which I have yet to read. I read in this order at the author's suggestion after winning both books in a giveaway.

I mention this because the order in which I read the books colored my opinion on this one. I did enjoy Until Thanksgiving, as my rating indicates, but think I would have liked it more if I hadn't developed certain expectations from After Christmas Eve, so I would be remiss to not mention that in my review of this book. I liked that he has some less savory traits - the pot smoking wasn't a big deal for me but I know some characters and readers have a problem with it.

And the casual sex pre-Thad was not something I've seen in many romances. But I like books with a protagonist who's a little rough around the edges. And I like Thad as well. Though I do wish he advocated for what he wanted more clearly, he's endearing and sweet and cute. And I like how close he is with Philip. As a side note, it was nice to see Phillip again after having read a novel with him as the main protagonist.

So the concept of Josh not knowing Thad is available for a good chunk of the book I know, it's in the blurb wasn't super fun for me - I wanted to yell at them both for not being more forthright in their communication.

But the fact that I wanted to yell at them shows that this book does what I like in other ways - it got me to care about the characters enough to want a happy ending for them. I can't say exactly what made me so invested in them, but Michael Rupured wrote them well, I can say that much. There was only one thing that rubbed me the wrong way in this book, and I think I'm one of few people who would have this issue but it's worth noting.

I think that would have been harder to weave into the story, so I get it. All in all, I enjoyed this book, despite liking After Christmas Eve more. I think it only makes sense that an author's second book would be an improvement on the first. And that makes me all the more excited to read Happy Independence day, the second book chronologically and the third written. It's actually the first book of Michael Rupured's that piqued my interest I think it was on a blog tour for that book that I won the other two. I'm glad to have read his earlier two novels first, though, and do recommend them.

Dec 18, Julie Hayes rated it it was amazing. Maybe when his longtime lover, Ben, needed to take a playmate on the side. The company assigns Thad Parker to help Josh find a place to live, and the good-looking redhead is more than happy to oblige, especially once he gets a look at the ruggedly handsome Josh.

Thad shows Josh a few apartments, saving the best for last, and Josh snaps it up, ending up on the Dupont Circle. Thad neglects to mention he only lives a few blocks away. Thad and Josh get along very well. He finds he is much more in demand than he ever was in Lexington. Except by Thad, who apparently lives with his much older lover, unfortunately for Josh. Including the hunky guy who came on to him, got his phone number, and then never called. Josh is also disturbed by the recent deaths of gay men in the area.

The police have no answers, and a serial killer is on the loose somewhere. Until Thanksgiving worked on so many levels for me. The author made me feel like I was a part of the world that Josh moved into. The characters are well-drawn, and it was easy to come to care for Josh and Thad, and hope they would find their way to each other. Josh begins as a fish out of water, unable to see himself as he really is and how others see him, and he grows and develops throughout the story.

This was the second time I read this book, and even though I knew what was going to happen, it touched me just as much as it did the first time.

One Is a Feast for Mouse: A Thanksgiving Tale by Judy Cox

I was excited, fearful, hopeful I cried and I laughed. Most of all, I came away with the memory of a very lovely story. I shall be reading more of Mr. I read this after reading After Christmas Eve which though it is a prequel, was written after. I rate about 3. I enjoyed the story and Josh's growth from man-boy to man though did find the characters a little juvenile at times for late thirties males.

I think the writing in After Christmas Eve was much tighter so I hope that this trend continues as the author continues writing. There was some tension in the murder aspects but not as much as could have been - the murderer wasn't frightening so I read this after reading After Christmas Eve which though it is a prequel, was written after.

There was some tension in the murder aspects but not as much as could have been - the murderer wasn't frightening so much as I didnt get a feel for him - not sure whether I disliked him or felt sorry for him. Perhaps more of his and his partners story would have galvanised my feelings one way or other. Having read the prequel first, I wanted more of Phillip's story, to see what he had done in the intervening years.

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