March 2, 2015
A Life of the Twentieth Century by Irene Even #review
A Life of the Twentieth Century is the story of Aya, a young girl alone in the world after the death of her parents who must face the horrors of the Second World War.
About A Life of the Twentieth Century
Aya loses her parents at the tender age of three. At the age of twelve, she was sent to a boarding school in Budapest that was forced to close after one year due to the Nazi army marching into the city.
Aya was left alone to face the Nazi occupation and to experience the horrors of the war. She faced many life threatening situations, such as prison, bombardment or even the possibility of execution on the spot without really comprehending the gravity of it all.
The end of the war was supposed to mean liberation, the return of hope and freedom for most people however this did not happen for Aya, who was part of a youth group on their way to Palestine. The destination of this youth group was to reach Italy and the Jewish Brigade. They crossed the Alps on foot from Austria to reach Italy.
As they reached their destination Aya met a solider from the Jewish Brigade who was supposed to be her hero, her Saviour but who turned out to be the devil incarnate. From day one this solider of the Jewish Brigade took control of Aya’s life when she was only fifteen years old.
After divorce, destitute and once again alone, she had no direction and almost no hope. From deep inside her she heard a voice telling her to go back to school. It took all her courage to apply to university where she was accepted and after five years was granted a B.A. and a Diploma in Teaching. She spent the rest of her life teaching and as she contemplated her life she said to herself that is she had had all the choices in the world, she would have chosen teaching.
My Thoughts
It is hard to know where to start with such a powerful book. Even more so when the story is a true story of the struggles a young girl faced during the Second World War right through to adulthood. I felt humbled and honoured to read her story as Irene draws us into the story of Aya.
At such a young age, Aya could hardly understand the complexities and the dangers around her during the war but she faced them bravely and without fear. She describes events that gave me goosebumps and a strong sense of appreciation of how brave she was despite being so young (can you even begin to imagine crossing the Alps on foot to reach Italy??!). It is hard to believe that she accomplished so much before the age of sixteen but she did as many like her did as well out of necessity and the need to survive.
I was heartbroken for her as she struggled with depression and a marriage that was unhappy. Like many that suffer from depression it is hard to accept and reach out for help. I was glad to see her pull out from the fog of unhappiness and depression and reach for her goals of teaching. I was even happier when she left the dangerous marriage that she was in. Her marriage only put additional strain on her as a person both mentally and physically.
A Life of the Twentieth Century is a memoir that reads like an unpredictable novel with the beauty of being a true story. A truly lovely memoir of a powerful, brave and determined young lady who grows into an even stronger woman as she struggles on the journey of life. A definite must read especially for young women who will most likely identify with many parts of this memoir.
You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon or Book Locker.
Rating: 5/5
About Irene Even
Irene Even was born in Hungary. As a child she lived through the Second World War using false papers to survive. After the war, she immigrated to Palestine and lived in a Kibbutz. She then later married and immigrated to Canada with her family. She returned to Israel to teach English and remained there for twenty-two years. After writing her memoir, she now lives in retirement in Montreal.
The Giveaway!
You can now enter to win one of ten e-book copies of A Life of the Twentieth Century. This giveaway is open internationally and ends March 21st. Good luck!
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
February 27, 2015
Pants! No Chance! by Susan Lanyi #girlswholovedresses
Pants! No Chance! by Susan Lanyi follows the tale of Lulupop, a dress loving young girl who refuses to wear pants.
About Pants! No Chance!
Lulupop rarely puts up a fuss for her Mother. Except for when it comes to pants.
Dresses, dresses, dresses is all she will ever wear! With time, a little drama and no lack of imagination, Lulupop realizes that wearing dresses is not always the best idea.
My Thoughts
Lulupop is an incredibly imaginative young lady that sure does love her dresses! She loves her dresses so much that she does not listen to her Mother’s sound advice and compares wearing pants to the most extreme situations.
Lulupop and her imagination had us giggling throughout the book with her comparisons and even reminded us of someone in our own little family with her ‘I would rather”. In Pants! No Chance! we are able to follow along with Lulupop as her Mother tries to make her understand that sometimes even when we don’t like something it may be the best solution for a problem.
Through humour and gorgeous drawings, Susan brings home this message in a way that children and adults can relate to. How many times have you had the conversation with your child – do you remember what happened the last time you made this choice? I know we have many times! This story had us giggling and saying, ‘oh Lulupop!’.
A fantastic story line that is easy to read out loud and gorgeous, bright illustrations make Pants!No Chance! a family favourite that you will enjoy reading with your child over and over again.
Rating: 5/5
About Susan Lanyi
Susan lives in Montreal with her husband, three children and their family puppy. Susan is a writer who has been previously published in Globe and Mail. When Susan is not busy writing or doing Mom stuff she is busy shopping for pants for her daughter who refuses to wear dresses! You can connect with Susan on Twitter and Facebook.
Giveaway Time!
Susan is giving away five copies of her book, Pants! No Chance! This giveaway is open internationally and ends March 6th. Good luck!
Disclosure: I received a copy of Pants! No Chance! in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
February 25, 2015
The Food at Blue #WW w/linky
What better way to relax after a day on the hills skiing, snowboarding or tubing than with a fantastic meal?
For the last three days, my family and I have been exploring Blue Mountain Village and all that it offers. I was so impressed with the wide variety of restaurant and menu options (more to come on the blog later this week!).
For this week’s Wordless Wednesday I wanted to do a little teaser for you of all the delicious food we had these past couple of days. I am featuring food from Sunset Grill, Oliver and Bonacini and Firehall Pizza Co.
Mouth watering right?!!
Make sure to come back later this week to find out my thoughts on these fantastic restaurants, Westin Blue Mountain and our first family ski trip!
Link up below so that I can come visit you too! Have a fantastic day.
February 22, 2015
Aoleon The Martian Girl: Part Two by Brent LeVasseur
Part Two of Aoleon The Martian Girl is here!
Aoleon The Martian Girl Part Two by Brent LeVasseur is jam packed full of adventure and fun that does not disapoint.
About Aoleon The Martian Girl Part Two:
Aoleon and Gilbert receive a special mission from PAX, a wanted criminal and leader of the Martian resistance movement to investigate the Luminon of Mars who he believes is planning an invasion of Earth to steal it’s cows. Gilbert has an encounter with the Luminess and discovers something strange about her and the pair are chased by the Royal Guard.
At Aoleon’s home, Gilbert meets her family: her sister Una, her mother Phobos and her father Deimos as well as her pet Zoot. Gilbert also meets Bizwat, an undercover Procyon Commando who uses his job as a pizza delivery boy as a cover.
Gilbert is able to visit the Martian Space Academy where he encounters Aoleon’s nemesis Charm Lepton. He also receives a history lesson of the Martian people.
My Thoughts:
As a family, we loved book one in the Aoleon The Martian Girl series and could not wait to dive into part two. Brent did not disapoint with this book!
Both Aoleon and Gilbert find themselves in even more adventures than the first book but this time on Mars! Science fiction fans will love the technology and aliens while readers of all kind will fall for the adventure and friendship that forms between this unlikely pair.
In Aoleon The Martian Girl Part Two we are exposed to more of the maritans including Aoleon’s family and friends. We find that martians are just like us and some can be unfriendly and unkind to others. They feel, think and act just like humans do!
The illustrations in part two are incredible in this series. The illustrations are bright and large drawing you right into the story. They help to break up the novel making it easy to read for all reader levels. This book is perfect for the recommended age group of 8-18. Both my son and I loved reading it!
You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author:
Brent LeVasseur enjoys crafting stories based on lovable characters designed to translate into multiple media platforms. His hobbies include writing, 3D animation, musical composition and space travel. You can connect with him online through Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
February 21, 2015
Creating Your Own Destiny with Netflix #StreamTeam
Brrrrr it is cold out there!! With these bone chilling temperatures lately we have been spending more time inside catching up on our favourite Netflix shows.
This month, Netflix is bringing back all of our favourite childhood characters but taking it to a new level. Now we get to find out what happened to all our favourite characters – turns out they became parents and had their own children!
In Ever After High, premiering this month on Netflix, the famous fairy tale character’s children are at a boarding school for teens destined to follow in their parent’s footsteps. Ever After High celebrates the idea that our lives are not predetermined for us and only we have the power to change our destiny.
Also premiering this month is Richie Rich (a brand new version of the old favourite!) and Season 2 of Mako Mermaid.
Our favourite show this month? The Mind of a Chef! This show is all about what it is like to think, cook, live, create in a food obsessed world of the mind of a chef. Yum yum! I love to cook so this was perfect for me.
Getting our children to think of the future (so hard to think of my babies all grown up!) and challenging them to set a path for themselves to create their own destiny is important. They need to know and understand that only they have the power to control their future and what happens to them.
So with some inspiration from Meet the Dupiens, we helped our children Reach for the Stars with their own destiny banner.
We asked our boys: What and where do you see yourselves in the future? What do you want to be when you grow up?
Their answers:
- Power Ranger or Batman
- Soccer Player
- FIFA World Cup Player
- NHL hockey player
- professional gamer
- Live somewhere where it is always hot!
Oh to be young again!
Pull out the magazines and pencil crayons and get colouring and cutting! Have your child put together photos of their dream destiny to put on a banner. This banner can be hung up in their room or on their door to be a constant reminder to always aim high.
It is so important for our children (and us too!) to remember to follow our dreams and work hard to achieve our goals.
Catch up with all your favourites this month on Netflix and new shows that teach us to always reach for the stars and that anything is possible.
What are you looking forward to watching on Netflix this month?
Disclosure: I am a member of the Netflix StreamTeam and receive perks with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.