Lisa Marie Pottgen's Blog, page 25

ARC Review: Knees by Vanita Oelschlager

Title:  Knees: The mixed up world of a boy with dyslexia

Author:  Vanita Oelschlager

Publisher:  Vanita Books

Publication Date:  May 1, 2012

Page Count:  128

Where I got it: Publisher via Edelweiss

Where you can get it: Amazon

How much: List Price 9.95

Format I read it in: eARC

Challenges:  ARC August Challenge, 2013 ARC Reading Challenge, Netgalley Knockout Challenge

Description/Blurb:

Knees shows the ups and downs of life with dyslexia. We have done this book in the style and size of a chapter book so that younger children and older children at low reading levels can read what seems to be an older child’s book.

We cover dyslexia’s symptoms and the reasons school can be hard for dyslexics. We talk about some famous people who had or have dyslexia.

The book is endorsed by the head master of a school where many of the children have dyslexia. He has dyslexia himself.

My Thoughts: ★★★

Knees explores dyslexia, it’s symptoms, and the effect it has on the people who are so afflicted. It is told in the form of what appears like a graphic novel, a format that is much loved by my 10 year old son.

But, the problem we had with Knees is this.  Per my 10 year old, the story itself was “choppy” and if it was hard for him with not having dyslexia, he felt that it would be much more difficult for a child who did have dyslexia to be able to read and follow along.

Now, the illustrations were good.  The storyline itself in concept was stellar and I like the idea of explaining things and telling kids not to give up.  I think there were a few flaws in the execution that could be improved upon in future stories, however.

**DISCLAIMER** In full compliance with FTC Guidelines, I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was in no way compensated for this opinion, and the thoughts are my own. Links above will take you to a site where you can PURCHASE a copy. Using those links will take you through an affiliate link and I will receive a small percentage of the purchase cost. You are in no way obligated to use affiliate links and there is no additional cost to do so. 

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

ARC Review: Knees by Vanita Oelschlager is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

August Challenge Statuses!

Well, August was actually a pretty Decent month for me, in terms of how I did for my challenges

2013 ARC Reading Challenge:  Current count as of right now is 50 review books read for the year.  This includes both print an digital books thus far.  If you go up to miscellaneous, most of them should be tagged under the challenges.  I have already far exceeded my goal on this one and I intend to keep going!

2013 Banned Book Challenge Hosted by Buckling Bookshelves

I have finally read 1 book on this list.  I am sorely and sadly behind on this one, but I will get there!

Rory Gilmore Bucket List Reading Challenge Redux

Still no progress on this one.  I know.  You may all mock me mercilessly now.

ARC August Challenge

I have read one more than my goal.  My goal was 6 print and 6 digital and I read 6 print and 7 digital!

Netgalley Knockout Challenge

For Netgalley Knockout, I committed to read at least 15 Netgalley/EW/Digital review books.  I officially signed up in august, but was told it was okay to count the ones I read in July when the event had started.  I am currently at 10/15 for this one.

There you have it folks.  Are you participating in any of these challenges?  How are you doing on your goals.  I am looking forward to starting Bout of Books soon and making an even bigger dent in this pile!

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

August Challenge Statuses! is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

Review: Blood Awakening: The Blood Burden Series by Wenona Hulsey

Title:  Blood Awakening

Author: Wenona Hulsey

Publication Date:  July 7, 2011

Page Count:  33

Where I got it:  Author request, free on Amazon

Where you can get it:  Amazon

How much: Free

Format I read it in:  ebook

Challenges:  ARC August Challenge, 2013 ARC Reading Challenge, Netgalley Knockout Challenge

 

 

 

 

 

Description/Blurb:

Nicole, a small town Alabama girl, and her best friend Kat take a weekend trip to Panama City, Florida. Kat looking to have a good time and Nicole hoping to escape the pain of losing her mother for a little while. Little did Nicole know, the escape would awaken a ancient power that is hidden in her blood. A power that evil wants for its own and will do whatever it takes to have it.This short story is a look into best friends’, Nicole and Kat, life before a centuries old grudge and Nicole’s emerging powers rips them apart. A power that Nicole wants no part of as it brings her to her knees and forces her to walk away from her small town life and everyone she loves.

My Thoughts: ★★-1/2

Well, I love a good vampire tale as much as the next girl.  And I absolutely was tickled that this story was set in Panama City Beach, an area I know and love, as much of my family lives there.  I have fond memories of visiting my grandmother and spending time on the beaches there.

Nick struck me as the very full of himself playboy.  Why do women always go for the guys that will seem like total jerks?  Money is definitely not everything, ladies, believe me.

Something about this story just really bothered me. I know it is only 33 pages, but the plot felt awfully thin.  I really wanted to like this story, but I just could not get there.  I may try the rest of the series to see if it fills in any of the holes, but I was left longing, feeling like I was missing some vital piece with the way this was written.

**DISCLAIMER** In full compliance with FTC Guidelines, this book is available for free on Amazon for Kindle.  I was in no way compensated for this opinion, and the thoughts are my own. Links above will take you to a site where you can PURCHASE a copy. Using those links will take you through an affiliate link and I will receive a small percentage of the purchase cost. You are in no way obligated to use affiliate links and there is no additional cost to do so. Clicking here will take you to more information about the book on Goodreads. 

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

Review: Blood Awakening: The Blood Burden Series by Wenona Hulsey is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

ARC August Wrapup

A big thank you to Read, Sleap, Repeat for hosting this awesome challenge!

So, how did I do?  Well I had set out to do 6 ebooks and 6 print books.  Here are the books that I read:

Knees by Vanita Oelschlager (eARC)

Blood Awakening by Wenona Hulsey (eARC)

The Three Lost Kids and The Christmas Cures by Kimberly Kinrade (eARC)

Wild Song by Jane Eagland (eARC)

Smart Pop 2013 Preview (eARC)

Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (print)

Crewel by Gennifer Albin (print)

Winter in Full Bloom by Anita Higman (print)

Awaken by Meg Cabot (eARC)

Welcome to Last Chance by Kathleen Armstrong  (print)

Underworld by Meg Cabot (print)

Abandon by Meg Cabot (print)

Adela Arthur and the Creator’s Clock by Judyann McCole (eARC)

 

So that is 7 in ebook and 6 in print.  Wow, I guess I did meet my set out goals, didn’t I!  I am impressed with myself because I thought I was going to have come up short on this one, but there it is!

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

ARC August Wrapup is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

Rabid Reader Recap (10) 8/25/2013 through 9/1/2013

This post is in something of a similar style to The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, as well as Showcase Sunday hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea; and Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga’s Reviews.

      

Wow!  That week just went so fast!  I don’t even know where the time went.  I did the Monster Review-a-thon this week an got lots of reviews up, I think I ended up posting or scheduling a total of 7.  Yesterday was the conclusion of ARC August, and I probably fell a hair short of my goals for that, but I think I made a gallant effort nonetheless, and will be working on a wrapup post for that this evening.  The Authors are Rockstars giveaway has ended, and I am waiting to hear back from winners so I can get their prizes all set up for them.

So, the posts.  Here is what we had.


 Children’s Book Review: The Three Lost Kids and the Christmas Curse
 


ARC Review: Wild Song by Jane Eagland


My Thoughts on the Smart Pop 2013 Preview


The Call of the Wild by Jack London


Review: Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater


Bout of Books 8.0 Wrapup #boutofbooks


Rabid Reader Ramblings: Lets Talk About City of Bones: Book versus Movie Comparison


Monster Review-A-Thon


Bout of Books 8.0: Final Day Challenge: New Bout of Books Blogs #boutofbooks

 

Lots of awesome and amazing content this week!  I really hope I can keep the momentum going and keep the content flowing!

Coming up this week:  

Stay Tuned!

Regarding the books, I was really well behaved this week!

I only received one print book, a finished copy of Antigoddess by Kendare Blake, so stay tuned for a giveaway of the ARC when I post my review, which should be in the coming weeks.

Big thanks to my contact at Tor Teen for getting me a copy of this amazing book!

For the Netgalley stuff, I actually was quite restrained this time around.

So, more left the reading pile than joined it this week, which is awesomely amazing, right?

 

I am not feeling well today, so I am going to keep this to a minimum.  How did you all do with posts this week?  Did you add more to the reading list than you removed from it?

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

Rabid Reader Recap (10) 8/25/2013 through 9/1/2013 is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

Children’s Book Review: The Three Lost Kids and the Christmas Curse

Title: The Three Lost Kids & The Christmas Curse

Author:  Kimberly Kinrade

Publisher:  Evolved Publishing

Publication Date:  November 20, 2013

Page Count: 94

Where I got it:  Author for review 

Where you can get it: Amazon

How much: List Price 6.99

Format I read it in: eARC

Challenges:  ARC August Challenge, 2013 ARC Reading Challenge, Netgalley Knockout Challenge

 

 

 

 

Description/Blurb:

Evolved Publishing brings you “The Three Lost Kids & The Christmas Curse,” by award-winning author Kimberly Kinrade. (Chapter Book for kids 6-9 years old.)

~~~~~

…We pulled, and the rope tightened, wrapping around Santa’s feet and yanking him upside down to hang from our tree.

“What on earth?” He shook and swung and tried to pull himself up, but his belly kept getting in the way.

If we hadn’t been so desperate, I would have laughed.

When he saw us, he reached out. “Kids, help me! I’m stuck.”

I kept my distance. “I’m sorry, Santa, but we have to stop Christmas, and this is the only way.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but then the medicine Maddie had used in the cookies took over. His eyes closed, and instead of words, only loud snores came from his open mouth.

I checked the knots to make sure he couldn’t break free.

Lexie looked up at Santa, a worry line across her forehead. “We’ll never get off the Naughty List after this!”…

~~~~~

Christmas every day sounds like the best thing ever to Bella and her sisters, but when a special Wishing Stone grants her heart’s desire, The Three Lost Kids discover the curse hidden in the wish.

Now they have to stop Christmas no matter what–even if that means ending up on Santa’s Naughty List.

Will the girls learn the true meaning of Christmas and find a way to break the curse? Or will they be stuck in their self-created Jingle Bells Nightmare forever?

~~~~~

Look for the original Three Lost Kids Trilogy – Lexie World, Bella World and Maddie World – if you like enchanted Dragons, Fairies, and more adventures through magical worlds, and all with great life lessons for kids!

And don’t miss The Three Lost Kids & The Death of the Sugar Fairy, as Maddie, Bella and Lexie embark on a great Halloween adventure!

www.ThreeLostKids.com

My Thoughts: ★★★★

Once again, Kimberly Kinrade has given us a sweet kid’s story that not only entertains, but makes us and our children think.  This particular story was filled with a “moral of the story” lesson, and comes complete, as with the rest of the series, with questions at the end to discuss with your children and to make them take a deeper look at things.

I love the way Ms. Kinrade presents her stories and I love being able to share them with my children.  I have a little girl that is perfectly nestled in the target demographic and she has loved every one of the stories from the Three Lost Kids that I have shared with her so far.

I particularly enjoy that these stories allow a glimpse into the fantastical worlds that could be around us, but that they also have a deeper meaning and there seems to be a lesson to be learned.  What that lesson is, of course, you will have to read to find out for yourself, but it is in there, and in this particular case, it is one we all need to remember.

Thank you, madam author, for creating such beautifully designed worlds for our daughters to get lost in!

**DISCLAIMER** In full compliance with FTC Guidelines, I received a copy of this book from the author  in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was in no way compensated for this opinion, and the thoughts are my own. Links above will take you to a site where you can PURCHASE a copy. Using those links will take you through an affiliate link and I will receive a small percentage of the purchase cost. You are in no way obligated to use affiliate links and there is no additional cost to do so. 

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

Children’s Book Review: The Three Lost Kids and the Christmas Curse is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

ARC Review: Wild Song by Jane Eagland

Title:  Wild Song

Author:  Jane Eagland

Publisher: Stoke books

Publication Date:  January 2013

Page Count: 69

Where I got it:  Publisher via Netgalley

Where you can get it: Amazon

How much: List Price 6.95

Format I read it in: eARC

 

Challenges:  ARC August Challenge, 2013 ARC Reading Challenge, Netgalley Knockout Challenge

 

 

Description/Blurb:

Anna’s lived on the island all her life. She knows no one else, apart from her father, her father’s assistant and two faithful servants. But one day, a strange boy is washed up on the shore. He’s wild and free. And he has the power to change everything.

My Thoughts: ★★-1/2

Okay, so let me give you this information first.  From the Netgalley page for the book, information about the publisher.

Please note that Stoke Books are created specifically for reluctant or dyslexic readers. The books are short and action-packed with compelling narratives. This book is aimed at kids aged 13 and up with a 3rd grade reading level.

 

So,  I totally get that.  Really, I do.  We are not talking about a traditional teen reader here.  We are targeting a reader who has reading difficulties and is not going to read at what is considered appropriate level for this age.  I commend this publisher for targeting the dyslexia community because they are way underserved when it comes to reading materials.

However, while this was a great idea in theory, the execution felt a little lacking to me.  The story took me about 20 mins to read.  Granted, I do not have dyslexia and read at much above a 3rd grade reading level.  But even a struggling reader will be able to see that there were some holes in the way the story was written.

A well executed short story, novelette, novella, or novel needs a beginning, a middle and an end.  There needs to be conflict, but there also needs to be a resolution.  The conflict was great.  It was a universal theme in a way.  But there was no resolution.  We are left hanging with no answers and even more questions.  What happened to Rob?  Is Jasper really on Anna’s side?  And is her father really that afraid of the outside world that he curls up in a ball and cowers when things go wrong?

I think this would have made a good beginning of a story, but to me, it just felt like half of it was missing and I feel like it needed something more.  The writing is very juvenile, but when you are talking about teenagers that have a 3rd grade reading level, that is to be expected, so I am not faulting on that.  As this was an eARC, I am also not commenting on the editing, and hopefully the editing issues in this were addressed prior to final publication.  I have not seen the finished copy, so I cannot really say.

I found Anna likable, if somewhat sheltered and unaware of the world around her.  I was slightly disturbed in the beginning by her infatuation with the MUCH older man, and that particular part of the plot made me uncomfortable, as did the much older man’s declarations toward her.  However, we are never told how old Anna is, so maybe I am way off.

I am rating the book as I am because I just felt like it was not enough to stand on it’s own.  I feel like I needed something more.

**DISCLAIMER** In full compliance with FTC Guidelines, I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was in no way compensated for this opinion, and the thoughts are my own. Links above will take you to a site where you can PURCHASE a copy. Using those links will take you through an affiliate link and I will receive a small percentage of the purchase cost. You are in no way obligated to use affiliate links and there is no additional cost to do so. Clicking will take you to more information about the book on Goodreads. Clicking will take you to the authors website.

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

ARC Review: Wild Song by Jane Eagland is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

My Thoughts on the Smart Pop 2013 Preview

Title: Smart Pop Preview 2013

Publisher:  Smart Pop Books

 

 

 

Challenges:  ARC August Challenge, 2013 ARC Reading Challenge, Netgalley Knockout Challenge

 

 

Description/Blurb:

Get a sneak peak at Smart Pop’s 2013 titles with this preview volume of standalone essays and exclusive book extras!Volume includes:“Anne McCaffrey, Believer in Us” – David Brin

From Dragonwriter: A Tribute to Anne McCaffrey and Pern, edited by Todd McCaffrey

Exclusive Extra: “Painting the Dragonwriter Cover” – Michael Whelan

Excerpts from “Munchkin: Hollywood” – Liam McIntyre

From The Munchkin Book: The Official Companion, edited by James Lowder

“Percy Jackson and the Gods of Death” – J&P Voelkel

From Demigods and Monsters: Your Favorite Authors on Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, edited by Rick Riordan

“Why the Best Friend Never Gets the Girl” – Kami Garcia

From Shadowhunters and Downworlders: A Mortal Instruments Reader, edited by Cassandra Clare

“The Price of Our Inheritance” – Neal Shusterman

From Ender’s World: Fresh Perspectives on the SF Classic Ender’s Game, edited by Orson Scott Card

Exclusive Extra: Q&A with Orson Scott Card

“The Architects of the Rebellion” – V. Arrow

From The Panem Companion: An Unofficial Guide to Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games, From Mellark Bakery to Mockingjays

Exclusive Extras:

“A Grosser Power” – Ned Vizzini

“Capitol or Katniss – Who Am I?” – Lili Wilkinson

From the special e-book only content for The Girl Who Was on Fire – Movie Edition, edited by Leah Wilson

“A Prehistory of Fanfiction” – Anne Jamison

From Fic: Why Fanfiction is Taking Over the World

Excerpts on Washington Commons, The Foundry, and AndrewAndrew

From The Unofficial Girls Guide to New York: Inside the Cafes, Clubs, and Neighborhoods of HBO’s Girls

My Thoughts:

I am never really sure how to voice my opinions on these sampler titles, so I am going to go with talking a little about the titles that are featured in it, and then will conclude with which of them I am the most looking forward to.

In this sampler collection, there were excerpts from each of several titles, to include:

Dragonwriter, which talks about Ann McCaffrey’s Pern series and the stories therein contained.  While I found this interesting, I have not followed the original works, so I did feel a bit lost.

The Munchkin Book, which apparently talks about a card game that I had never heard of but am now intrigued with and look forward to finding out more about it.

Then, of course, there is a whole section on 2013 movie Tie-ins, which brings us:

Demigods and Monsters, which pays homage to the Percy Jackson series, and several other young adult and fantasy writers weigh in on what their thoughts are on these books and movies and some other fun stuff that is vastly interesting.  I actually have received a copy of this for review and am looking forward to reading it in the near future.

Shadowhunters and Downworlders pays tribute to the stories of Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series.  I am most anxious to read this one, because I fell in love with the first book in the series and was one of the faithful at the theater on opening night!  I have a copy of this one for review, as well so look for this in the future on the blog.

Ender’s World is a collection of stories and information relating back to Orson Scott Card’s series.  I have not read these, as it is a bit science-fiction-y and that is not really my thing, but it was interesting to see how other people responded to it.

The Panem Companion.  Self explanatory.  Who doesn’t want to get a glimpse into the world of the Hunger Games.  There are stories here that give you a glimpse of the conspiracy theorists’ take on things and some amazingly interesting and amusing stories, with exclusive excerpts from The Girl Who Was on Fire.

The Unofficial Girl’s Guide to New York is all about the HBO series, Girls, which is not something that I watch so it was not able to hold my interest, although being from New York, some of the locations were familiar.

Fic is all about the world of fan-fiction and how it dates back much, much further than we realize.  I was fascinated by the talks of how even Shakespeare borrowed from others in his works and this is a topic of immense interest to me.

Overall, the books about Hunger Games, Percy Jackson and Mortal Instruments are majorly on my reading radar, but I think what I am most fascinated to read is Fic.  There has been a lot of controversy in the literary world surrounding fanfiction of late, and so I really want to read this collection!

**DISCLAIMER** In full compliance with FTC Guidelines, I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was in no way compensated for this opinion, and the thoughts are my own. Links above will take you to a site where you can PURCHASE a copy. Using those links will take you through an affiliate link and I will receive a small percentage of the purchase cost. You are in no way obligated to use affiliate links and there is no additional cost to do so. Clicking here will take you to the publisher’s site, where you can learn more about the titles featured in this volume.

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

My Thoughts on the Smart Pop 2013 Preview is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

You guys remember this book, right?  I had to read this one, I want to say it was fifth or sixth grade.  Well, One of the group goals set by Book BFFs was to read a children’s Classic, so I chose to read this one.  And let me tell you, Mr. London is a very sick, sick man.  The imagery and the way this is laid out was dark and bloody and violent and twisted and I have no idea how they considered this appropriate fodder for children when I was a kid.  Then again, it may be a testament to how much things have changed that this is no longer considered appropriate, for fear that people will grow more violent in having read the words.

This book was banned or challenged because, well, because with the main character being a dog and all, it is often classed as Children’s literature.  And apparently that is common, as I was still in Elementary school when this was a required reading assignment.

Granted, when I was in elementary school was…  Well, a long time ago.  Maybe children of my generation were different, able to handle things differently, I do not know.  All I know is that I have a 5th grader, and I do not think that he is as yet ready to read this book, That much I can tell you with great certainty.

But the book tells a story of the struggles and triumphs of man and beast to evolve, to grow and to move into another time.  Set in the times of the great gold rush, it tells a tale of struggles and triumphs, about the battle to get to the top.  It’s worth a read if your sensibilities are not easily offended, because let’s face it, there are lots of dying dogs and it is a very, very violent book.

 

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

Review: Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Title:  The Raven Boys

Author:  Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher:  Scholastic

Publication Date:   September 18, 2012

Page Count:  416

Where I got it:  Publisher for Review

Where you can get it:  Amazon

How much: List Price 18.99

Format I read it in:  Finished Hardcover

 

Challenges:  ARC August Challenge, 2013 ARC Reading Challenge,

 

 

 

 

Description/Blurb:

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them-not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all-family money, good looks, devoted friends-but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys:

My Thoughts: ★★★★★

I had started and stopped reading this one a few times, but when Bout of Books rolled around and the Book BFFs set goals that included a book from a male POV, this just seemed like the perfect book to fill that role.

Although, technically, only half of the book was from the male POV and half of it was from Blue’s POV, I still say it totally counts because there were more male than female characters that had leading roles.  Yep, that is my story, and I am totally sticking to it.

Blue was a character that struck me as, intriguing.  Something about her being out of the ordinary.  But I think I felt the strongest connection with Adam, and I am really not sure why.  Out of all of the characters, he just seemed the most, well, real.

The story was one of magic and amazing adventures.  I think it would appeal to pretty much any demographic, any gender.  It ends on the kind of cliffhanger that leaves you gasping for air and wanting more.  I essentially read this one in under 24 hours, and while I want to dive directly into Dream Thieves, alas, I must wait and see what else comes along first that will be more pressing.

The Raven Boys was one of those books that I felt compelled to finish.  From the moment I picked it up, I was drawn into the story and felt like I was there.  The first 60 pages or so were a little slow starting, but by the time I got through that, I was immediately dragged along into a story that I just could not walk away from.  Noah’s story was sad and bittersweet, but I was really glad to see the way some of the situations were resolved.

**DISCLAIMER** In full compliance with FTC Guidelines, I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was in no way compensated for this opinion, and the thoughts are my own. Links above will take you to a site where you can PURCHASE a copy. Using those links will take you through an affiliate link and I will receive a small percentage of the purchase cost. You are in no way obligated to use affiliate links and there is no additional cost to do so. Clicking here will take you to more information about the book on Goodreads. Clicking here will take you to the authors website.

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

Review: Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader