Month: June 2015

June 18, 2015

Summer’s List by Anita Higman

In Summer’s List, a dying wish alters the course of a young woman’s life.

About Summer’s List

Life has not always been easy for Summer Snow. Through acts of selflessness, caring for her ailing parents and running her Grandmother’s bookstore, she had forfeited her youth and dreams for others. The only tries she had at love did not work out. She had the bookstore, her Granny but she was missing something or someone.

Opportunity strikes when her Grandmother sends her on an unexpected adventure with Martin Langtree, a kind but gangly young man from her past. A childhood friendship is restored, a romance is kindled and a mystery is solved. Will Summer strike out in love or will this be her chance?

My Thoughts

Summer has definitely not had an easy life, losing those that she held dear to her. These losses, which could have changed her outlook on life, only encouraged her to be a kinder, loving and caring person. She loves her Grandmother with all her heart and held on to her dream of running her book store. This was no ordinary book store but a gift from God to the children who came in. This was where they could go to read, to learn and for guidance.

Throughout the novel, Granny provides us with important life lessons (some that are directed towards Summer but can be directly applied to your own life!). These were important reminders for me especially at this time in my life. The friendship that is rekindled between Summer and Martin is wonderful. Both of them need each other more than they would ever know and cling to each other for support throughout the novel.

A touching novel from start to finish, that will make a perfect read throughout the summer months! You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page. You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 4.5/5

About the Author

Anita Higman has over thirty books published for adults and children. She has been a Barnes & Noble Author of the Month. She has a BA degree, combining speech communication, psychology and art. Anita loves good movies, exotic teas and brunch with her friends.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

June 15, 2015

Nature’s Confession by J.L. Morin

Nature’s Confession is a cli-fi quest full of romance, honour and adventure as well as being a LitPick 5 Star Review Award Winner.

About Nature’s Confession

When a smart-mouthed, mixed race teen wonders why the work that needs to be done pays nothing compared to the busywork glorified on holovision news, the search for answers takes him on the wildest adventure of his life. Their planet is choked with pollution. They can’t do anything about it or can they? With the girl of his dreams, he inadvertently invents living computers. Just as the human race allows corporations to pollute Earth into desolation, institute martial law, and enslave humanity, two teens set out to save civilization. Can they thwart the polluters of Earth and other fertile planets. Along the way, they enlist the help of a female droid, Any Gynoid, who uncovers cutting edge scientific mysteries. Will youth lead the way to co-exist with Nature?

My Thoughts

Wow. Nature’s Confession is a powerful and thought-provoking novel from start to finish. This was my first time reading a cli-fi novel and it was incredible. The Earth as it is described is one that can be vividly imagined if we keep on the same path even a hundred years from now. The pollution, corruption and turning a blind eye to these events can be seen now and in the novel.

A novel targeted to youth, Nature’s Confession truly goes the extra mile to remind our youth that they are a powerful force. They can force change and all it takes is one person to start these changes. This is an important reminder for our youth – that they are the change that they want to see.

The novel is well written and developed at a good pace that allows you to absorb and understand the technology and ideas presented (busywork, the rules, etc). The start is slower to build as she explains more but this is something you will need to fully appreciate the book. The middle to end capture and demand every bit of your attention. The characters were brave and adventurous, a small amount of romance is included in this book but definitely does not take away from the themes of this book. As an interesting fact that was shared with me by J.L. Morin, did you know that one round trip from New York to London pollutes as much as one house in a year? Pretty crazy right?!.

This is a definite must read book for all youth and for those who want to step outside their book comfort zone. You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

Make sure you check out this trailer of Nature’s Confession:

Awards:

LitPick 5 Star Review Award Winner, #1 Top Marinovich Fiction Read of the Year, Best of a New Genre, Eco-Fiction Honourable Mention. Nature’s Confession was also included the 12 Works of Climate Fiction Everyone Should Read. New Awards include: Readers’ Favourite Award Winner, Book Excellence Award Finalist, Top 10 Best Science Fiction, Best Climate and Environment Fiction Book.

About the Author

Novelist and rooftop farmer, J.L. Morin grew up in inner city Detroit and wrote her Japan novel, Sazzae as her thesis for Harvard. It was a Gold Medalist in the eLit Book Award and a Living Now Book Award. She took to the road, travelling, worked as a newscaster, and wrote three more novels. Adjunct faculty at Boston University, she was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2011. She is the author of Travelling Light and Trading Dreams. She also writes for the Huffington Post, Library Journal, Sustainable Cities Collective. You can connect with her online, Twitter and Facebook.

J.L. Morin has offered one of you the chance to win her book, Nature’s Confession! You can now enter via the Rafflecopter form below – good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

June 14, 2015

Join The #RBCFirstHome Twitter Chat June 16th!

Buying your first home is terrifying! You have so many questions, fears and expectations with no one really to go to in order to talk through your worries. RBC Canada understands this and has assembled a team of experts (Lawyer, Realtor, Mortgage, Home Builders and Design) to answer all of those burning questions you may have at their #RBCFirstHome twitter chat.

The Details:

Follow @RBC_Canada and the #RBCFirstHome hashtag on June 16th from 8:30 pm ET to 9:30 pm ET. The bonus? Five lucky participants will have the chance to win one of five $100 gift cards – woot woot!

Jump in at any time with your questions and feel free to give others advice too! We are all in this together.

Looking forward to tweeting with you on Tuesday!

June 12, 2015

A Friend in Me by Pamela Havey Lau

Young women long for connections with women further along their journey. Without realizing it we can sometimes tend to distance ourselves from those younger than us.

About A Friend in Me

Can we have close relationships with women who have different thoughts on church, different family experiences, and different ways of talking about God? Where do we start?

In A Friend in Me, Pamela Havey Lau shows you how to be a safe place for young women in your life to come to. She offers five patterns women need to internalize and practice for initializing relationships and talking about issues of faith, forgiveness, sexuality and vocation. She reminds us that there does not need to be a divide by generations. Together, we can have a global impact and experience a deeper faith.

My Thoughts

We all crave close relationships, it is just a part of human nature. We want to learn from each other, feel a connection, know we are important and that our feelings matter. Sometimes, it can be hard to be a good friend and it can be even harder to cross the generations gaps.

A Friend in Me teaches us how not only to build relationships with other women but how to cross that gap. For myself, I value my relationships with my older co-workers. When I need advice they are the first people I will go to and lay it all out for. They not always agree or understand my choices but they can provide me feedback and advice. This advice has been learned from being there and already doing it. This is why these relationships are so important to young women. We can learn and grow from these relationships, while realizing no matter what the age gap we are all the same and experiencing the same things. My favourite part of the book focuses on the tone of our voices, which I know I am guilty of. Are we relaying what we truly feel in the tone of our voice? How would this make you feel if someone spoke to you like this? Pamela provides plenty of real experiences to get her point across as well as provide opportunity for growth and education. This is a great resource for all women to come back to over and over again.

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse Blog Tour page. You can purchase a copy of a Friend in Me here.

Rating: 5/5

About Pamela Havey Lau

Pamela is the author of Soul Strength and numerous articles. She has taught writing at George Fox University and speaks around the country at conferences and retreats. A graduate of Liberal University and Colorado State University, she lives near Portland, Oregon with her husband and three daughters. You can connect with her online and on Twitter.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

June 10, 2015

Introducing Your Child to the Theatre at the Shaw Festival

Introducing Your Child to Theatre at the Shaw Festival

I love attending plays and this was a huge part of my childhood. My parents took us to Beauty and the Beast, ballet, Phantom of the Opera and so many more fantastic live shows. I love the architecture of the theatres, the thrill in the audience and the raw emotions from the actors. Sometimes I feel as though children are not encouraged to attend because they have shorter attention spans or they may act out. While this can be true at times, you should always encourage them to attend with you. These are social experiences that will last with them for a long time. One of the best places to experience live theatre is at the Shaw Festival!

Here are some helpful tips for your child’s first visit to a live play:

Arrive early and walk around the city. Niagara on the Lake is stunning in the summer months with the flowers and scenery, so take advantage of this with your child. Pack a lunch to enjoy in one of the parks or try out one of the fabulous restaurants that line Queen Street. This walk really helped our youngest burn a lot of energy while allowing us to see lots of beautiful architecture in the city as well as the lake.

Visit the local shops along Queen Street. We found so many unique shops and this one particular shop really caught the attention of both of our boys with the wind chimes. They fell in love! We spent twenty minutes in this store alone and they came home with a special chime just for them to remember the day.

Niagara on the Lake is rich in history and everywhere you turn there is a sign or flag to display that heritage. Why not really make it a day and visit Fort George for an hour or two? During the War of 1812, Fort George served as the headquarters for the Centre Division of the British Army. This was an important part of our trip as well as we were able to blend some education value into this stop as well as having fun walking around the site (and pretending to shoot cannons!).

The doors to the Royal George open an hour early, so make sure you get in there and take some time to relax in the downstairs lobby. Use this time to make sure your children go to the bathroom, get a small snack and maybe something to drink. The boys loved the mini stage and tables that were set around it. We enjoyed some cool, quiet time before the show started.

The play will make your trip so research what you will see and talk about it with your children. We attended Peter and the Starcatcher, which was fantastic and was a perfect fit for our family! It was full of humour, action and adventure. At one point our youngest was so involved in the action scenes with the Black Stache that he called out no when he was attacking Peter. It was adorable to watch how involved they were in the play and to me this is what theatre is all about, drawing you in to the raw emotions and feelings of the play. The actors in Peter and the Starcatcher did an amazing job drawing you and keeping you entertained throughout the whole two hours. We did not want the show to end!

End your day with ice cream! We stopped in at the Il Gelato di Carlotta, which serves the most divine gelato! I had the Dolce Vita and was in love at first bite. This was the perfect way for us to celebrate the wonderful day we had. Not only is their gelato delicious, they also source all of their fresh fruit from local farms (a win win in my mind!).

The Shaw Festival is the perfect opportunity for you to introduce your child to live theatre, which will be an experience they will not forget!

What other tips can you offer to parents taking their child to live theatre for the first time?

Disclosure: I received tickets to Peter and the Starcatcher. All opinions expressed are my own.