In Middle South, Layla is on a journey from the Southeast to the Middle East and back where she finds out a little more about herself and what she is looking for in life and in love.
About Middle South
Layla has recently moved out of her parents’ home in the Atlanta suburbs and into an apartment in the city to assert her independence. Between her job as a feature writer for a small newspaper and her social life, Layla has little time to think about marriage and children, much to the dismay of her Lebanese parents.
On a hilarious journey that takes Layla from the Southeast to the Middle East and back, she finds out a little more about herself and what she is looking for in life and in love.
Maya Nessouli Abboushi is a Lebanese American born and raised in the United States. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and three children. This is her first novel. You can connect with her on her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Giveaway!
Enter to win an ebook copy of Middle South, this giveaway is open Internationally – good luck!
We are huge hockey fans in our house. This love for hockey was instilled in me by my Mom, we would spend many evenings (especially Saturday nights) watching the Toronto Maple Leafs together as a family and it was an evening full of laughs and snacks. She would take us down as often as possible to Maple Leaf Gardens for pre-season skills competitions (I believe that’s what they were called back then but I could be wrong it has been so many years!) where we could watch the current team take to the ice and show off. She also took us to several meet and greets at Canada’s Wonderland with the Maple Leafs. I still have my autographed Leaf’s book signed by Doug Gilmour and Felix Potvin, although my boys have now taken that over and proudly display the book and postcards in their room.
Parents and their children make for the best cheering combination when it comes to their favourite sports team. As a family, we buy matching jerseys, hats and t-shirts, some of them are our lucky shirts that are reserved solely for playoffs and others are for every day wear. How can you not help fall in love with children decked out supporting their hometown team, especially babies? It just melts my heart!
This is so very true with the Toronto Maple Leafs – we love our hometown team and watch with anticipation (and a bit of anxiety) every year as we get closer and closer to playoff time. This year we made it – YAY! To show support and encourage our team along (being in the playoffs was a bonus), Carter’s Oshkosh is giving away limited Edition 6 month Maple Leafs Lil’ Bodysuits. If you are in the GTA or have family in the GTA that can pick it up for you, have them register online at Carter’s Oshkosh in order to receive a certificate to redeem in store. The deadline to redeem is April 30th which is coming up fast so if you haven’t had a chance to register, head over now.
Not in the GTA? No worries! Carter’s OshKosh and I are giving you a chance to win your own Lil’ Leafs Prize Pack. My Canadian residents can enter to win a Lil’ Leafs Prize Pack containing three Lil’ bodysuits, one Toronto Maple Leafs hat and one $15 Carter’s Oshkosh gift card via the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!
From DK Canada comes Utterly Amazing Earth, your little adventurers first step into the learning about our beautiful planet – just in time for Earth Day.
About Utterly Amazing Earth
From volcanoes and earthquakes to the water cycle and seasons, this interactive book brings amazing natural phenomena to life with pop-ups, pull-tabs, flaps, and wheels.
Young readers can go deep below the Earth’s surface and discover earth-shattering facts with Utterly Amazing Earth. They can peer under the Earth’s crust, discover why we have seasons, find out why earthquakes happen, and so much more. The book even features activities and experiments that kids can do at home-including building an erupting volcano. Together, the pop-ups, experiments, and bite-size facts ensure kids have different ways to absorb the information, no matter how they like to learn.
Perfect for little geologists, Utterly Amazing Earth is sure to fascinate even the most reluctant of readers.
My Thoughts
Another amazing book from DK Canada, this time focusing on the Earth and its incredible and breathtaking features. We learn about so much in this book, from volcanoes to oceans to climates to rocks and minerals and so much more. This hardcover books features thirty-one thick pages of interesting facts, images and pop ups. The book is bold, bright and full of fun pops (extreme weather was definitely my favourite) and flaps to help your child discover more about their home.
This book would be a great supplement for early education about Earth at school. It is perfect for the child that loves all things geography and wants to learn more about their planet. This book makes a great gift for avid readers to get them thinking about their planet and how it works. Our planet is an incredible place and this book explores its beauty and power.
Learn and entertain your kids with this exciting new book from DK Canada: Forest Life and Woodland Creatures. A look into life in the woods, just in time for Earth Day 2017!
About Forest Life and Woodland Creatures
Packed with fun activities, crafts, reading games, and amazing facts, kids can meet all the cuddly creatures and amazing sights found in the woods – from bunnies to bears to bugs, in this educational project book.
In Forest Life and Woodland Creatures, each page has engaging photographs with clear text and simple step-by-step instructions for young readers to follow as they complete each project. Kids can get crafty as they create a pine cone owl, a bear mask, delicious berry ice pops, and much more. Perfect for kids who love the great outdoors, this book will have them exploring as they improve their dexterity, memory, and brain development with each activity.
Created especially for kids ages 3-5, DK’s Practical Facts series blends educational content with simple practical activities such as crafts, cooking, and counting. This provides young readers with a broad reading experience in which they learn by doing. The simple activities reinforce the fun facts and aid in the development of literacy, numeracy, memory, and dexterity.
My Thoughts
Forest Life and Woodland Creatures is a beautiful hardcover book for young children. It introduces them to forests and the creatures that live there all in an age appropriate and visually appealing manner. Each page has a combination of large and small images, some of the images are drawn while others are real images of animals and trees. The font is perfect for children with a combination of large and small print with kid friendly type. The wording is excellent for young children and makes it easy for parents to read out loud to your child and to even have them help you read along with the story with short sentences and high frequency words.
This is the perfect introduction to your child about the world around them and a great topic starter coming up to Earth Day. It can introduce topics like how do we protect animals in the forest, how can we recycle more to save trees and how can we make the Earth a better place. It also includes easy to make projects (like pine cone owls!) that you and your child can create together. A lot of these projects incorporate items found outside in nature. It will have them exploring their environment and learning at the same time.
Thrust in a maze of money laundering and murder, our main character Madison experiences the value of true friendship and witnesses the healing power of love in For No Apparent Reason.
About For No Apparent Reason
A focused law student, romance has been absent from Madison’s life. She has successfully planned each phase of her life and resigned to the fact that there will be plenty of time for love after she passes the bar exam—that is until the single act of seeking shelter from a spring downpour dramatically alters the course of her life. Madison is lured away from the security of law school into a world where she learns about the destructive nature of greed. Thrust in a maze of money laundering and murder, Madison experiences the value of true friendship and witnesses the healing power of love.
My Thoughts
I fell in love with this novel and could not put it down – I had to finish it in one sitting! The characters were loveable, funny and full of adventure and the plot was fantastic and kept you on your toes (I definitely did not see the ending coming!).
Our story starts with a murder that really makes no sense – she was a loving Mother and a friendly and active participant in her community. A short while after the murder (which was first viewed as a suicide), Madison finds herself on that same woman’s porch by chance. She finds something on that porch that sets her down a path of adventure, betrayal, greed and murder.
Madison is full of adventure and spirit. She has such a good heart and wants only to help the murdered woman and her family. Her help at times can be dangerous and actually puts her in the way of the FBI! But even the FBI can’t resist her spirit and her desire to help this family.
For No Apparent Reason is a well written, exciting novel that I could not put down. It draws you in to the story and you can’t help fall in love with Madison. Her sense of adventure and wanting to help this family warms your heart especially as she learns and grows in friendship and love. A definite must read addition to your home library!
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, S.K. Derban moved to London within the first three months, and remained in England until the age of five. Her father, an American citizen, was a decorated veteran of the second world war. Derban’s mother, born and raised in the United Kingdom, was involved with the London Royal Ballet Company, and a great fan of the arts. Even after returning to the United States, Derban’s life was filled with a love of the theatre and a passion for British murder mysteries.
S.K. Derban has always remained passionate about writing, and is thrilled to finally share her work with others. Her personal travel and missionary adventures also help to transport readers virtually across the globe. When writing, S.K. Derban relies on all aspects of her life, from her faith in the Lord, to her love and knowledge of the arts.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
