Great reads for adults and children!
This is an absolutely adorable book for young children. It gently, sweetly and humorously illustrates ways to be kind. The illustrations are delightful, to the muted side but in a good way. Highly recommended!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read in exchange for an honest review.
So, many of you on this site may have young children at home and many of them may be bored. If you want to offer a nice diversion to your 4 to 8 year old, consider this title. Dover publishes a number of inexpensive activity books, of which this is one. The puzzles are simple but fun and your child will be good to go with just a pencil and some crayons.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.
From the publisher:
I love this book! The illustrations are so vibrant and appealing. The story of Astrid is that of a girl who was thrilled to learn to read and enter fictional worlds. She loved being a child and was not eager to grow up. But, grow up she did and as a bit of a rebel.
Readers will learn that Astrid’s most famous character, Pippi Longstocking, got her name from the author’s daughter, Karin. Astrid eventually wrote these stories down and…the rest is history.This is another excellent entry in a series that offers children the opportunity to learn about little people who grew up to be people who did big things.
As always, there is a timeline biography at the end of the book with photos of the author.Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.
From the publisher:
Grow Kind is another title published in conjunction with the American Psychological Association. These books address issues and subjects that will lead to positive growth for children.
In this title, that is colorfully and very cheerfully illustrated, a young girl learns about being kind to others. This is shown is several ways; there is allowing her older sister to sleep late, picking the bounty from a garden and sharing it with neighbors and classmates. The protagonist also gives food to someone who is standing by the road and is hungry.
As always, the story is followed by sections for adults that further enhance the lesson of the story and that help those who interact with children to understand their needs. I found this title to be another good entry in a good series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest
Mostly keeping the choices light as I think that we may all be looking for escape reading.
Just looking at the lovely cover for this title is so soothing in our current troubled time. I felt as if I wanted to escape to this village immediately.
Clover Cottage is the home that vet Rory’s parents have offered to him and his partner Allie. To Allie, this house signifies a chance to settle, to think about having a family and to stay put. However, Rory still has things that he wants to do, especially working in Africa. Allie does not want to hold him back. What will Allie learn about herself while Rory is gone? Will the two find their way back to one another?
If you are looking for a gentle and heartwarming escapist read, pick this one up. It is part of a series but I read it as a standalone.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.
Of all people, parents may benefit from practicing mindfulness (if only they can make the time). There are so many stresses and challenges that come with being a mom that stepping back for a moment can be incredibly helpful. This book aims to help with that. Some of the topics covered include love, the first few months, mothering together, tantrums, impermanence, the daily grind, challenges and acceptance, gratitude, , teenagers and the journey onwards, among others. This book offers gentle advice to mothers. Maybe this title will help you or a mom that you know.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.
From the publisher:
Nothing can really prepare us for becoming a mother to a newborn baby, except perhaps living with or supporting someone else who is doing just that. Even then, we wouldn’t experientially know what it is to be recovering from childbirth, experiencing hormonal changes and possibly learning to breastfeed while adjusting to this new parental role. It is full-on and most new parents’ lives are quite literally turned upside down by it. Night merges into day and day into night. The jumbling effect of sleep deprivation can make us feel spaced-out and utterly exhausted and can compound the already heightened emotions of our hormonal interior.
Tove wrote letters, lots of letters. They were to family, friends, readers and more. Of these the editors include 160 written between 1932 and 1988. Each section of the book begins with an introduction that helps to place the letters in context. For example, in letters to family, it is noted that Tove left Helsinki to study in Stockholm and also spent time in Paris and Italy. The book includes photographs of Tove and those to whom she wrote. There are also drawings, as for instance, a map of a Paris neighborhood, an outfit that Tove wore or some of her art.
This book will be welcomed by fans of the Moomin series who would like to know the author better. It will also appeal to anyone who enjoys the insights to be found in the letters that people write.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.
A classic, a romance, some mystery/suspense and historical fiction. I have The Other Einstein in my TBR pile. I have read and enjoyed other books by this author including Lady Clementine and Carnegie’s Maid. (See archive for reviews).
Hannah Dennison has written several mystery series; this title is the first in a new one about the “Island Sisters.” The islands of the title are the Scilly Isles. They make a great setting for a novel that bears some resemblance to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None as the characters are together on an island and can only go back to the mainland when/if the tides allow.
The Island Sisters are Evie and Margot. Evie, who married the much older Robert, has recently been widowed. Margot flies in from LA to support her but…does she have her own issues? (No spoiler, as I am sure that you know the answer.) The two go to Tregarrick Rock where possibly Evie has a claim to the local hotel, a place where all the suites are named for mystery writers, but is her claim valid? What about those on the island from the unhappily married couple, to the hotel employee with a prison record, the artist and the double named Lily who collects gossip, delivered island babies and seems to know everything?
There are several murders, a small police force, lots of walks in the mizzle (a cross between mist and drizzle) and more before all is revealed, as they say in mysteries. Along the way, the pages easily turn.
This is a story that requires a good deal of suspension of disbelief. There are many coincidences, interconnections and unlikely events. That said, it was a quick, fun read. I look forward to spending more time with Evie and Margot in the future.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.
Pub date is August 18, 2020
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 