Month: November 2019

Cathy Kelly is an Irish writer of women’s fiction.  She has written many novels, only some of which are available in the U.S.  In this title, Ms. Kelly tells the story of three women born on the same day; Callie is 50, Sam is 40 and Ginger is 30.  Each is coping with a major change; Callie’s husband has left her (I won’t say why), Sam becomes a mother and Ginger who is overweight and bullied goes through her own transformations.  With fictional license,  the author has the path of these three women cross over the course of the novel.

I think that this author’s strength is describing emotions.  I felt this particularly with Sam who brought back memories of what it was like to be pregnant and to be an overwhelmed, exhausted, scared new parent.  The less strong aspect of this writer is that she creates a story that does not feel fully true to life but, if you like a novel in which characters grow and you can suspend disbelief, this one is an enjoyable read.

Sometimes the world feels chaotic; the reasons why are different for each of us but all of us could benefit from the calming wisdom in this book.  The illustrations are lovely and peaceful and go nicely with the text.  The author has sections on a number of topics including Focus & Awareness, Body & Wellness, Habits & Rituals, Rest & Relaxation and Patience & Poise.  Each section features a number of terms which are expanded upon.  What I particularly liked was that they were linked to sections called Try This which offer ways to put the concepts into practice.  This book is a great companion to any mindfulness app that readers use or may be read on its own.  I rate it highly.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.  I think that I will buy this one for my home library.

From the publisher:

Two mysteries, a Jodi Picoult and a book on John Adams.  (I always like to read on the Adams and Roosevelt families; maybe you will too.)

How funny that the author of this wonderful book is named Cook but she is, and cook she does in this lavishly illustrated volume.

Food and eating are important components of all cultures and both offer a way to easily learn about heritages other than one’s own. In this cookbook, there are recipes from many countries; to name just a few, there are things to prepare from Canada, South Africa,Egypt, Nepal, France and Israel. The recipes cover categories including Breakfast, Drinks & Snacks, Lunch, Dinner and Dessert. Each recipe is graded by difficulty. There are also sections on kitchen rules, tools, baking terms and more.

Each recipe begins with a section on what is needed to prepare the recipe, followed by a section on “what you do.” All recipes are fully illustrated with photographs for each step There are additional sections on the young cooks pictured to let the reader learn more about heritages, favorite dishes to cook, etc. Then there are sections filled with other interesting global facts.

Young cooks will learn a lot from this book as will their families. Kids will improve their kitchen skills, eat some wonderful food and develop a deeper appreciation for our wonderfully diverse world.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this mouthwatering volume. All opinions are my own.

 

From the publisher:

This storybook is illustrated with photographs of woodland animals including a groundhog, squirrels and more.  Some of the illustrations were photo shopped with clothes for the animals or photos of things like cell phones that are mentioned in the story.  This gave the book a unique look.

The story is about Margot who is due to hibernate for the winter.  She feels different from her fellow groundhogs because she is not eager to go underground; Margot fears that she will miss her friends too much.  So…Margot’s friends come up with ways that they can keep in touch through the long winter.

This story can be read  simply as Margot’s story.  It could also be a discussion opener for kids who may miss people in their lives, for example relatives in other states, and can think about ways to keep in touch.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read in exchange for an honest revie

The author of this book packs a lot into his 100 words.  Five ancient civilizations are included, the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Minoans, Greeks and Romans  After a brief introduction and a time line, the reader moves right into the words. There are many that I knew and even more that I did not.  Even for terms familiar to me, there was often a new fact that I had not known.  This made the book interesting.  To give a few examples, there was everything from the Nile to Shabtis in the Egyptian section, purple for the Phoenicians, democracy to Hoplites for the Greeks, and Romulus to Insula for the Romans.  The illustrations were artistic and appealing, each done in just a few colors.

At the end of the book there is a map, glossary, index and find out more section.  This book is informative for both the children who are its audience and also for adults.  I love kids’ non-fiction.  There is always something to learn in an appealing way.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

#TheAncientWorldIn100Words #NetGalley

Classic Sayers and a popular novel in Still Alice.

I have now published 1337 posts on WordPress.  This is more than I imagined when I started to blog.  It has been fun and an adventure to share my love of books and reading with you. Many thanks to everyone; I so appreciate your taking the time to read what I post.

This book can be enjoyed three ways.  It is a search and find title, although I do think that the objects were not easy to locate and may frustrate younger children.  It is also a coloring book and a compendium of interesting facts about zoo animals.  This seems like a good title to take on a trip as it could keep a child occupied for quite a while.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

#LizBallHappyFoxBooks #NetGalley

From the publisher:

This is a picture book for young children.  It tells of two friends who love being together and enjoy all of the same things.  Each likes the same kind of jam, feeds the carrots that they are supposed to eat to the class rabbit instead, get haircuts at the same time, etc.  To one another they feel like twins and they wonder if people can tell them apart.  The reader may want to pay attention to the fact that they are shown in different colors, as they are of different races.

The charm of this book is that the children have not yet learned prejudice.  It is based upon a real story.  This would be a good book for a nursery/preschool child as it could open up discussion.  The illustrations are bold and lively.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.