Enjoy: A Year of Celebraciones (Carrie Lara)

#AYearofCelebraciones #NetGalley

The APA publishes many books that are carefully thought out and designed for kids. This new title invites young people to learn about holiday traditions from around the world. With colorful pictures, a great cast of children, and appealing text, this book will engage its audience. Invite them in as the New Year is celebrated.

This book would be a welcome addition to home and school libraries.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the American Psychological Association for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 17 October 2023

The ties are deep: Blood Sisters (Vanessa Lillie)

#BloodSisters #NetGalley

This series launch by Vanessa Lillie does not feel like the work of a beginner. It is beautifully plotted, has a wide variety of three dimensional characters, and brings its people and settings fully to life. Along with all of this, readers will deepen their understanding of the issues that faced the Cherokee people but historically and to this day.

Syd is a Cherokee woman who works for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She has left the community where she grew up after a horrific home invasion and the death of her close friend. This character, Luna, is very much a presence in the book as Syd repeatedly hears her voice. In her current life, Syd is committed to her work and is in a relationship. Her wife very much wants to be a mother. Syd is not sure if she is up for this.

As this complex story opens, Syd has found a body in Rhode Island, most likely of a Narragansett woman. She is called back to her home community in mid stream when a case needs to be solved there. At the same time, Syd’s sister is missing. Her history includes addiction but would she have willingly abandoned her daughter?

Readers will turn the pages as they try to figure out what has happened to the people of this mystery and get to know Syd, her family and the others around her.. I recommend it very highly. It is atmospheric, suspenseful and (I would say) educational (as regards the treatment of the Cherokee and others.)

Fans of books as diverse as those by Carolyn Haines and Suzanne Chazin will, I think, enjoy this book very much. The writer is like Haines in that she has a ghost speaking to a character. Chazin is recalled because both she and Lillie have a deep understanding of communities and people of color who have not been treated fairly.

I will be most eager to read all of the books in this series as they are released. I hope that there will be many.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 31 October 2023

Meet the: Girls of the World (Mihaela Noroc)

#GirlsoftheWorld #NetGalley

This book is absolutely gorgeous. The author/photographer takes the reader on a journey through 55 countries where they will meet girls who are beautiful inside and out.

Ms. Noroc found her calling in these pages. She shares that it took her time to find her way as a person. With this book, she shows what a rich life she has developed.

Open this book anywhere and meet a girl. Readers will be so glad that they did! The photos are superb and the text gives a reader the opportunity to know a bit about the young woman.

I most highly recommend this title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 07 November 2023

Now out: Every Season is Soup Season

Five stars *****

Where I live the temperatures are still quite warm. Nonetheless, fall is coming and that is when I start to think about soup. This book definitely piqued my interest, especially with its reminder that soup is a meal for all seasons.

Warning! The photos in this book will make you hungry. Within these pages, in addition to the luscious photos, there are over 85 soup recipes. Before getting to those there are several helpful sections, for example, on storing and freezing soup. The recipes that follow are organized by season. Just two examples from each, beginning with fall: Caramelized Cabbage Barley Stew, Butternut Squash & Mushroom Lasagna Soup, French Onion Soup, Chipotle Three-Bean Chili, Spring Vegetable Chowder, Chilled Strawberry-Rhubarb Champagne Soup wit Olive Oil Cake, Dark Chocolate S’more Soup, and Corn & Roasted Potato Soup. The recipes have clear directions and some look pretty easy.

This book is one that would make a great gift. There are so many yummy sounding soups in these pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

From the Publisher

Every Season is Soup Season
Every Season is Soup SeasonEvery Season is Soup SeasonEvery Season is Soup Season
Chickpea Noodle Soup with Lemon & DillRed Cabbage Soup with Crème Fraîche & DillPotato & Pea Stew with Indian Spices
Every Season is Soup SeasonEvery Season is Soup SeasonEvery Season is Soup Season
Roasted Tomato Soup, Corn & Roasted Poblano Chowder, and Caramelized Spring Onion RamenCream of AsparagusCaramelized Spring Onion Ramen
Every Season is Soup Season

She was committed: Ruth First Never Backed Down (Danielle Joseph)

#RuthFirstNeverBackedDown #NetGalley.

This picture book will acquaint young students/children with Ruth First, a girl who grew up to fight apartheid in South Africa. Her story is simply and well told here and includes the difficulties she faced. Ruth was imprisoned, exiled from her country and lost her life after having been targeted by the government.

While Ruth is not as well known as someone like Nelson Mandela, this white, Jewish girl/woman fought for the cause that she believed in. It is time that her story was told and her passion and bravery recognized.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 07 November 2023