In The Painter’s Apprentice, would you rather sacrifice your livelihood, your lover, or your life? When the Black Death comes knocking on your door, you’d better decide quickly.
About The Painter’s Apprentice
Venice, 1510. Maria Bartolini wants nothing more than to carry on her father’s legacy as a master gilder. Instead, her father has sent her away from the only home she’s ever known to train as an apprentice to Master Trevisan, a renowned painter.
When the painter’s servants uncover the real reason why Maria has been sent away, they threaten to reveal a secret that could tear down her family and the future of their trade. She is forced to buy the servants’ silence, but as their greed steadily grows, Maria resorts to more desperate measures. She questions whether her heart’s desire is worth risking her family, her trade, and her future, but Maria’s sacrifices may amount to nothing if the plague arrives on her father’s doorstep before she is able to get back home.
From the author of the award-winning The Gondola Maker comes a rich tale of Renaissance Venice, a heroine with a lust for life, and love against all odds.
LAURA MORELLI holds a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University, has taught college students in the U.S. and in Italy, and currently produces art history lessons for TED-Ed. She authored a column for National Geographic Traveler called “The Genuine Article” and has contributed pieces about art and authentic travel to CNN Radio, The Frommers Travel Show, and in USA TODAY, Departures, and other media. Laura is the author of the Authentic Arts guidebook series that includes the popular book Made in Italy. Her fiction brings the stories of art history to life. Her debut novel, The Gondola Maker, won an IPPY for Best Historical Fiction and a Benjamin Franklin Award.
Laura Morelli’s new book, The Painter’s Apprentice, is out on November 15, and she is offering a set of great bonuses exclusively to her readers. If you like to delve deeper into the “story behind the story,” you’ll want to take advantage of Laura’s pre-order package, (ends Oct 31st) which takes readers behind the scenes of The Painter’s Apprentice with videos, pictures, commentary about Renaissance Venice, and other exclusive content. Learn more here and order your copy today!
For millions of pet owners, the unconditional love and companionship of dogs offers an escape from daily worries. This is what One Dog’s Faith explores.
About One Dog’s Faith: How My Dog Helped Me Trust in God and Overcome Chronic Worrying
The world is a stressful place. For millions of pet owners, the unconditional love and companionship of dogs offers an escape from daily worries. In the uplifting and inspirational book, One Dog’s Faith: How my dog helped me trust in God and overcome chronic worrying, author Tom Baker explores life and faith from a dog’s perspective. By looking at the world through his dog’s eyes, Baker reveals just how much humans can learn from dogs: how to love, how to live in the moment, and how to discover the glory and grace of God.
Baker’s six-year-old spaniel mix, Mango, is a typical dog – she enjoy sticking her head out of the car window, stealing socks, playing fetch and of course butt sniffing. When he found himself experiencing chronic worry because of his television production company was facing financial doom, Baker began to withdraw from his family and was experiencing symptoms of a deep depression. He shares an intimate look at how Mango helped him understand that his chronic worry was taking a huge toll on his health and family life.
My Thoughts
My first dog came into my life at the age of fourteen. Prior to that I had been a bit scared of dogs after being chased in a park and being bitten by three German Shepards. When I was fourteen my parents decided we were ready to own a dog and we brought home a beautiful, fluffy white bichon and named her Sparky. She was truly incredible – she wanted to cuddle and love you all the time. Since then I have had a total of seven dogs in my life and each one was special in its own unique way.
Dogs have this amazing ability to sense things that we can not, they know when we are hurting, are stressed and feeling unwell. It always makes my day after a rough day when my little Yorkie comes running up to me with her tail wagging and being her silly self. When my stomach ulcers are acting up, she just knows and will curl into me on the couch, giving me the love and support that I need in that moment. Just having her there beside me is all I need in those moments of quiet.
This book touches on all of this and more. This book is told through the eyes of Mango, Baker’s dog, with end notes in each chapter by Tom. We get a whole new perspective on life all coming from Mango and his dog life. We learn about the importance of letting go, trusting God, following instead of leading, unconditional love and patience and the power of the relationship between dog and human. Mango is quite the dog! He leaves you laughing (probably even recognizing your own dog in him) and with a lot of food for thought (no pun intended and once you learn more ab out Mango you will get it!).
I truly believe that dogs are special gifts and I wouldn’t be surprised if they are a gift from God! They offer up such amazing unconditional love and forgive just as easily. They are here for us in our moments of need and despair – sometimes before we even know we need that support. I loved how this book focuses on that special relationship and how much good comes out of it. There is so much that we can learn from dogs and the way they approach their lives. This is a truly special book that all dog lovers will love and appreciate.
Tom Baker has worked in entertainment, radio and television for over 35 years. He graduated with a degree in Marketing from the University of Tennessee and has been a TV and radio writer & producer since 1987. His personal work history includes ad agency writer/ producer, a radio & television commercial writer/producer/editor, senior video editor for a various production companies, producing music soundtracks and choreographing fireworks shows, cable series producer/editor – working on shows for A&E, Discovery, Discovery, HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel, DIY, GAC and the Cooking Channel. He is an Executive Producer/Owner of a TV production company (Cobblestone Entertainment, LLC) in Knoxville, TN.
Tom has been a musician since age 5, first playing piano and then switching to drums at age 8. He is also a published author and public speaker. He is very active in his church, where he plays drums in the contemporary worship band, teaches Sunday School to 8th and 9th graders and produces videos for the worship services and website. Tom and his wife, Michelle, of 19 years and four children (Carolyn, Sophie, Chloe and Cristian) love animals. They have 4 rescue dogs (including Mango), a rescue cat and a fish.
In No Place Like You, can Zach find a way to convince Leah that they can make more than just great music together—and that she’s the one that he wants for all time?
About No Place Like You
In Cloud Bay, home is where the heart is.
Leah Santelli always knew that Zach Harper, son of a rock legend and her best friend’s brother, was painfully out of reach. Then, on the night of her eighteenth birthday, Leah shocked herself by asking for—and receiving—the gift she wanted: one night of passion with Zach before he left town to pursue his rock star dreams. Now, years later, Zach is back in Cloud Bay to record his first solo album. His return could also be Leah’s big chance to step up her own music career. But getting the producing credit she needs means spending long hours with Zach in the recording studio…and falling back into the habit of longing for him, for better or worse.
Zach used to believe that a man must put his past behind him. But coming back home for Cloud Bay’s famed music festival has allowed him to finally make amends with his family and, much to his surprise, reunite with Leah. He might have left her once but now it seems he can’t stay away. Trouble is, even though the heat between them burns hotter than ever, Leah has old wounds in need of healing before she can give Zach a real chance. Can he find a way to convince her that they can make more than just great music together—and that she’s the one that he wants for all time?
My Thoughts
I fell in love with this crazy, loving and very real family – the Harper’s. They are children of a legendary rock star and this has shaped the way they think, feel and act. This is very much true for Zach Harper. He is an emotional person but is not very good at showing those emotions. While he has tried his hardest to run from his Dad’s legacy and not be like his Father, he is finding himself more and more like him. This tends to scare him and sometimes cause him to ignore his actions out of fear. He does not want to be anything like his Father (and when you read the story you understand fully why!). He loved his children but wasn’t there for them in the way a child needs.
Leah is a kind, strong, independent young woman who has just recovered from a divorce. Although it was a divorce they both agreed on, it still caused her pain that she hasn’t quite worked through. She works in the music industry as a producer and is trying to make a name for herself. She not only wants to use Zach for breaking out in the industry but she also has strong feelings for him – something that she continually tries to deny to him, herself and her best friend Faith. It was very interesting to find out about their secret past that they kept hidden from everyone!
As Zach works on his relationship with his family, his relationship steams up with Leah. You can see the two falling in love but holding so much of themselves back from each other. They both seem too afraid to just let go. You are constantly on the edge of your seat guessing if they will take that leap of faith or continue to hold back.
No Place Like You is a well written story of hope, finding oneself, taking that second chance and trust. Our main characters have to work past their own fears and past history in order to move into the future – one that may just hold a lifetime of happiness and love. It is in their hands to have a happy future but they struggle with putting the past where it belongs – in the past.
I loved every moment of this novel and could not put it down! While it is book three in the Cloud Bay series, you don’t have to read the other ones first but I highly recommend you do (look out for another review of a book in this series, A Season of You, coming October 17th). This book is set to release December 5th, 2017.
Emma Douglas has read like a wild thing since she was small. She discovered romance novels at an age that way probably way too young but she survived unscathed. When she realized you could make up stories as well as read them, she started taking notes about what the characters wandering through her head were telling her and then, eventually, books happened. Before the books happened she did the usual things (was a band geek (and a geek generally), had crushes on rock stars and fictional characters, spent chunks of her summers on an island beach, got a degree in something sensible that doesn’t involve writing about kissing, became a black belt in internet procrastination, fell down the rabbit-hole of craft, traveled a bit, indulged her love of baked goods, got bossed around by cats, began a quest for the perfect margarita, and napped to recover from all of the above. She still does most of that plus the writing thing from a tiny house in Melbourne Australia which her feline overlords have kindly agreed to share with her.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Halloween is our favourite holiday in our home. We love decorating the house, baking themed culinary delights and reading stories of ghosts, witches, zombies and more! Not all children enjoy this fun holiday though. It is important to talk about monsters, witches and all the scary stuff so that children can get used to the idea of Halloween and aren’t afraid of the things that go bump in the night!
To help your little ones get into the spirit of Halloween, Raincoast Books has two great book selections for the young reader: Herbert’s First Halloween and How To Catch a Monster.
Herbert’s First Halloween
Herbert is deeply doubtful about his first Halloween-but with a little help from his dad and a special tiger costume, Herbert might just find confidence on Halloween night. Together, father and son practice roaring, carve a pumpkin, and venture out in search of candy. And by the end of the night, Herbert finds his doubts have melted away. A sweet introduction to Halloween and to being brave, this book is sure to delight the youngest of trick-or-treaters.
Herbert’s First Halloween is a sweet book all about a little boy who isn’t too sure about Halloween. I know many parents can relate to having this conversation with their child! Most young children aren’t too sure about this holiday, they may be scared of the costumes, going up to the houses and even the yells of “boo”. It really helps to open up the topic of Halloween, address the fears your child may have and talk about all the fun this holiday can be. I loved how the Dad showed his son a picture of himself when he was a child dressed up for Halloween. This is such a great idea for parents and one I never thought of. Kids love seeing old photos and it is a great conversation starter. This book is beautifully illustrated in seasonal colours (think lots of greens, oranges and browns). It is an excellent book for those little ones who are heading out for their very first Halloween.
“There’s a monster in my closet, with claws, and teeth, and hair, and tonight, I’m going to scare him! He lives just right through there… “
Get ready to laugh as a young ninja heads into the closet to meet the monster that’s been so scary night after night! But what if things aren’t what they seem and our monster isn’t scary at all? What if our ninja hero is about to make a friend of strangest sort?
If you dare to travel beyond the closet door and into the land of the monsters… you might just find the very best reward of all. But with robots, lava pie, and a smattering of traps-catching monsters is no easy business!
How to Catch a Monster is an adorable, laugh out loud story of a young ninja that is prepared to face the monster that has been scaring him. The young boy comes home from school in his ninja costume full of confidence and ready to face the terrifying monster. He uses his ninja skills and captures the monster! To his surprise, he finds out that maybe the monster really wasn’t that scary and that maybe he might just make the best of friends.
This story was awesome – we had so many great laughs (how can you not with ninja skills, farts and monsters?!). It was very easy to read out loud with a great flow in the wording. It sets a great tone which helps to bring the story to life (we had a great time making scary and loud noises to help our youngest really get in the story). The illustrations are beautiful and really help to tell the story. The monster was so well done and looks so friendly! Perfect for those kids who are convinced that there is a monster hiding in their closet. How to Catch a Monster will be the perfect, laugh out loud addition to your family library that you will enjoy reading over and over again.
You can learn more about this book and purchase a copy of it here.
Disclosure: I received the above mentioned books free of charge in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Preparing and eating healthy meals and snacks for the family doesn’t have to be hard! Scrumptious Sandwiches, Salads and Snacks helps take the stress and worry out of the planning and making healthy meals for the whole family.
About Scrumptious Sandwiches, Salads and Snacks
Whether you are a working parent, a teenager, a busy professional, single parent, young couple, or caretaker, this collection of scrumptious, simple, and healthy recipes will help you learn to cook foods that taste good and are good for you. They work for on the go, as well as at home, made with readily available ingredients that are simple to prepare. As a team, a working wife and mother and a busy teen, we wrote this cookbook for you.
Today’s technology has opened our tastes to an abundance of foods from all over the globe, giving us unlimited access to the latest nutrition information, and has dramatically improved the conveniences of the modern kitchen. Yet, it is increasingly more challenging to keep ourselves and our families connected and to sit down and enjoy a healthy meal together. Work has become all-consuming, just to make ends meet. Two income households make it harder for families to have daily recreation, and the fear of leaving our children alone to explore, play, and learn life’s lessons, has made it more difficult for kids to be fit. Schools are more demanding than ever, physical education and recess time are shrinking. Children are less independent and rarely rely on their own judgment. This translates heavily into bad health habits, especially eating. Children should run and play when the mood strikes them, eat when they are hungry, and rest when they are tired. Living life should be driven by instinct, and our natural surroundings, but now, being outside has become a thing of the past. Over time, it has become more difficult to enjoy nature, and by default, more difficult to pay attention to the bodily signals that indicate hunger, satiety and preferences for taste.
Looking out for the health and well-being of our families is a given, and enjoying good, healthy food as a family and a community leaves an indelible mark on young people who will improve their desire for a higher standard of living in every aspect of their lives. Many people categorize food as adult food or kid food. “Kid food” is just another marketing ploy to get you to buy more gimmicky items that you do not need.
The recipes in this book are designed for you to have an easy way to ensure that kids eat well, alongside adults, and learn how to prepare quality meals that taste good.
My Thoughts
When we think of barriers to healthy eating, some of the top barriers that come up are not knowing what to make, worry over whether the whole family will eat the meal, time and money. These are all valid reasons but easy to fix with simple recipes, learning how to balance meals and lots of organization!
Scrumptious Sandwiches, Salads and Snacks is an excellent tool to help you prepare as a family prepare easy meals with most ingredients you will have already in your home. This recipe book starts out discussing healthy habits for life (because lets face it – you need a life balance of healthy eating, exercise and commitment to this lifestyle), how to read a nutrition label and how to get started.
The recipe book is into the three sections of sandwiches, salads and snacks, which is further broken down into breakfast and lunch sandwiches, appetizers and side salads, main dish salads, savoury snacks and sweet snacks. Each section is colour coded making it easier to identify the section you need in that moment.
One of my favourite features of this recipe book is how simple the recipes are – each one has a limited number of ingredients, anywhere from three to ten ingredients. This is a huge bonus for working families who need something quick and simple but still want to prepare something healthy. Many of these ingredients you will have in your pantry already, so there is no need to have to stock up on special ingredients. This made it that much easier to dive right into the recipe book and allowed me to get started on the recipes as soon as I received the book (there is nothing worse than getting excited for a recipe book and realizing most of the recipes require special ingredients!).
Each recipe is easy to follow with exact directions. Patricia also includes cooking notes for many of the recipes with tips on how to increase the recipe size, add more variety or garnish the recipe. Many of the recipes also include fun facts about the ingredients themselves and the nutrients they contain. I also loved that each recipe has its own nutrition label so you can easily see how many calories per serving, how much protein, fat, carbohydrates each recipe contains.
We tried out several dishes, including the black bean, corn and red bell pepper recipe for Thanksgiving meal this weekend and they were a huge hit! This recipe book is perfect for the busy, working family that wants to add some healthy (but simple) variety into their lives. A definite must have addition in the family recipe book collection.
Ushering in an era of bite size health, nutrition and fitness solutions, Patricia Greenberg definitely practices what she preaches! A working wife and mother, she has thirty years of experience as a nutritionist, Chef and Wellness educator. She continues to live a healthy lifestyle in an often chaotic world through good food and attainable fitness. She runs The Fitness Gourmet, a wellness consulting firm that specializes in teaching seminars nationwide. She has a special interest in enhancing the education of the general public, providing accurate nutrition and health information to today’s consumer.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the above book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
