Category: book review

August 31, 2017

Get Ready for Back to School with Raincoast Books

Back to school is always a nervous time for children. Children heading off to school for the first time are scared of the unknown, children returning are nervous about their new teacher, if their friends will be in their class and what will the new year be like. These fears are completely normal and okay – even as adults we have these feelings too when we start a new job or meet new people. One of the best ways we can prepare our children (besides sitting down with them and discussing their fears) is reading a book that helps bring humour and reassurance that we all go through the same fears, expectations and hopes.

Raincoast Books has several books that help children learn about others thoughts, fears and hopes for school all while giving you an excellent opportunity to get your child talking to you about the upcoming school year. Two of my favourite picks are: Kisses for Kindergarten and Zombelina School Days.

Kisses for Kindergarten

School is about to begin, and Stella Isabella Harden decides that kindergarten just isn’t for her. Instead, she decides to spend the day learning from her puppy named Buster. Together these two adventurers plan a day full of playtime, tea time, nap time, and story time. After every lesson,” Stella gets the best reward: a kiss from her best friend and favorite puppy. But will she change her mind about kindergarten before the first day of school? Join Stella and Buster in this lyrical read-aloud and heartwarming story about growing up.

“Stella Isabella Harden
contemplating kindergarten
declared she didn’t have to go…
because her puppy told her so.” – Kisses for Kindergarten

Kisses for Kindergarten is a 2017 Mom’s Choice Awards, Gold Award Recipient.

This was an adorable book to read to young children. Stella doesn’t want to go to school, she wants to stay at home with her puppy because her puppy really needs her to be there for him. And her puppy can teach her everything she needs to know right?

In a series of adorable and humorous moments, Buster tries to teach Stella but Stella comes to the realization all by herself that going to school may just be the best decision for her and Buster. The best part? It only makes their bond that much stronger!

We fell in love with the easy to read story with gorgeous illustrations. It is a great book for children entering Kindergarten so that they know they are not the only ones scared of the change and why it is important to go to school. Not to mention all of the fun things they will do, see and learn! I loved how the end of the book showcased that although Stella decided to go to school, everything else in her life remained the same. Buster was always there waiting for her to return and still loved her just as much as before she went to school.

You can purchase a copy of Kisses for Kindergarten on Raincoast Books.

Zombelina School Days

The only thing Zombelina loves as much as dancing is going to school! When it’s time for show and tell, her new friend, Morty, experiences a terrible case of stage fright . . . something Zombelina knows all about. Zombelina has an idea to help Morty work through his jitters-a big dance party!

After all, friends who dance together, stay together!

Starring in her third picture book, this adorable zombie ballerina tackles themes of family, friendship, and school day anxiety. The rhyming text is perfect for reading aloud, and the delightfully spooky illustrations are full of charm and heart.

I really enjoyed this book myself. Zombelina stands out from her classmates with her unique features and of course by being a Zombie in a class full of humans. She shows us that even though we may look different on the outside, we still love the same things, want to be accepted and have the same fears as each other. She shows us that it is important to step outside of our comfort zone, to try new things and to show compassion for others. It helps children to realize we are all the same on the inside and that is what matters the most. I loved that the book did this with adorable illustrations and humour. You can’t help but fall in love with Zombelina. She is a definite big hit in our home!

You can purchase a copy of Zombelina School Days on Raincoast Books.

Have an amazing few last days of summer before your child heads back to school. Happy Reading!

Disclosure: I received the above books in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

August 15, 2017

I’d Rather Be Reading

I’d Rather Be Reading is a lovingly curated compendium is a love letter to all things literary, and the perfect gift for bookworms everywhere.

About I’d Rather Be Reading

For anyone who’d rather be reading than doing just about anything else, this book is the ultimate must-have. In this visual ode to all things bookish, readers will get lost in page after page of beautiful contemporary art, photography, and illustrations depicting the pleasures of books. Artwork from the likes of Jane Mount, Lisa Congdon, Julia Rothman, and Sophie Blackall is interwoven with text from essayist Maura Kelly, bestselling author Gretchen Rubin, and award-winning author and independent bookstore owner Ann Patchett. Rounded out with poems, quotations, and aphorisms celebrating the joys of reading, this lovingly curated compendium is a love letter to all things literary, and the perfect gift for bookworms everywhere.

My Thoughts

This adorable book is the story of my life! I would honestly rather be reading when it comes to most things. Reading is a special, magical journey for the reader. It takes us away on an adventure, gives us confidence, helps us relate to the world around us and hope for our future. Books can teach lessons and give advice and become a best friend.

Not everyone is born a reader, instead this love is learned and discovered when we find that first good book and when someone ensures we have the opportunity to develop this love. This can be a parent, a grandparent or a friend. Whoever it is, it is so important that each child has the opportunity to develop this love and relationship with books. This book highlights that spark of love and the impact others can have on our reading journey.

This gorgeous book is perfect for all book worms. It is a small, hard covered book full of bright, bold illustrations and three essays woven throughout the book. The beginning gives us a look into Guinevere’s childhood and when she developed her love of books. Each page has a beautiful poem, quotes and illustration highlighting the love and importance of books and reading.

I’d Rather Be Reading is a beautiful gift for every bookworm in your life. It has been wonderfully designed and illustrated with some of the most meaningful quotes about reading.

You can purchase a copy on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Guinevere de la Mare is a San Francisco–based writer, author, book lover, and the founder of Silent Book Club, a pop-up speakeasy for readers worldwide.

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

August 14, 2017

A Name Unknown Book Review

In A Name Unknown, she’s out to steal his name. Will he steal her heart instead?

About A Name Unknown

Rosemary Gresham has no family beyond the band of former urchins that helped her survive as a girl in the mean streets of London. Grown now, they are no longer pickpockets-now they focus on high value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class society. Rosemary’s challenge of a lifetime comes when she’s assigned to determine whether a certain wealthy gentleman is loyal to Britain or to Germany. How does one steal a family’s history, their very name?

Rumors swirl around Peter Holstein. Awkward and solitary, but with access to the king, many fear his influence. But Peter can’t help his German last name and wants to prove his loyalty to the crown-so he can go back to anonymously writing a series of popular adventure novels. When Rosemary arrives on his doorstop pretending to be a well credentialed historian, Peter believes she’s the right person to help him dig through his family’s past.

Anger and danger continue to mount, though, and both realize they’re in a race against time to discover the truth-about Peter’s past and about the undeniable attraction kindling between them.

My Thoughts

A Name Unknown is an exciting tale of intrigue, suspense and hope.

We first have Rosemary, a young woman growing up on the streets of London. She has learned so many hard lessons at such a young age. Life was not easy for the majority during these times in London and we get a good picture into the lives of these children who have been orphaned or left alone in the world. Rosemary builds a new family out of children who are in the same predicament as her and they become almost like her children. She learns a trade that so many of the youth on the streets know all too well – stealing. She has a rare and special talent for this and becomes the best of the best. This is what lands her the job of a lifetime – finding out the loyalties of a certain young man of German origins.

This young man, Peter, is a shy and awkward man. He has trouble socializing and your heart goes out to him so many times throughout the novel. He can be so painfully awkward but so kind-hearted and sweet at the same time. When Rosemary arrives, we see a whole new side of Peter as well as in Rosemary. They bring out the best in each other, even though each of them is holding a little bit back from the other. As one tries to uncover his past while writing a novel and the other is trying hard to earn the name and money she so desperately needs, we uncover a series of events and hate. As these mysterious events become more dangerous, we are kept on our toes as to who could harbour such hate towards Peter.

The ending of the novel was incredible and definitely not what I was expecting at all but well worth it. We uncover the secrets of the past, find out who has been behind the hateful and dangerous events as well as have a realization that love is stronger than any other emotion.

A Name Unknown is a beautiful story of hope, faith, love and trust. We watch as our characters struggle through each of the stages throughout the novel in the backdrop of misunderstanding and hatred fueled by race. It is a well written novel that I just could not put down.

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page. You can purchase a copy of this book here.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of over a dozen historical novels and novellas, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her British series. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to make their way into her novels . . . to offset her real life, which is blessedly boring. She passes said boring life with her husband and kids in the beautiful mountains of eastern West Virginia

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

August 13, 2017

Aranya Audiobook Review

Evil has a new enemy. Aranya, Princess of Immadia. Dragon Shapeshifter.

About Aranya

Chained to a rock and tossed off a cliff by her boyfriend, Aranya is executed for high treason against the Sylakian Empire. Falling a league into the deadly Cloudlands is not a fate she ever envisaged. But what if she did not die? What if she could spread her wings and fly?

Long ago, Dragons ruled the Island-World above the Cloudlands. But their Human slaves cast off the chains of Dragonish tyranny. Humans spread across the Islands in their flying Dragonships, colonising, building and warring. Now, the all-conquering Sylakians have defeated the last bastion of freedom–the Island-Kingdom of Immadia.

Evil has a new enemy. Aranya, Princess of Immadia. Dragon Shapeshifter.

My Thoughts

Dragons, shapeshifters, an evil empire and a strong female heroine – all of this can be found and more in Aranya!

I fell in love with the plot line of this audiobook, we have Aranya who is the Princess of Immadia. She was taken by her Father’s soon to be enemy. On the way there, they are faced with attacks and Aranya falls in love with the enemy. She wants to see the good in him and at times she can but the ultimate betrayal comes when he is forced to execute her. While everyone fears her dead, the most amazing thing happened – she shifts into a dragon!

Shapeshifting was a talent long thought lost to her people. Dragons were just a memory from long ago and an image that no one could imagine. This starts an incredible journey for Aranya as she learns her true inner strength, courage and skills. She is just a young princess but she is carrying quite the burden on her shoulders. When she meets her Dragon Rider, we embark on a journey of self-discovery, battles and the bond between the two of them. The Dragon and Dragon Rider have an incredible bond, full of humour, respect and love. It was amazing to watch the two grow – especially her Dragon Rider!

The final battle is full of surprises! I was so shocked and could not stop listening at that point. We had enemies that turned friend, new friends that were long thought gone and an impossible battle to fight! Aranya and her Dragon Rider were in the thick of it all.

The story is very well narrated, I liked how it felt that at the beginning Aranya sounded more timid and agreeable but by the end her voice was full of power and strength. It follows how the plot developed and Aranya grows in her own physical, mental and emotional strength.

Aranya is an excellent story from start to finish – it is a little long but well worth every moment!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, Audible and iTunes.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Marc is a South African-born dragon masquerading as an author, who loves writing about dragons and Africa, preferably both at the same time. He lives and works in Ethiopia with his wife and 4 children, 2 dogs and a variable number of marabou storks that roost on the acacia trees out back. On a good night there are also hyenas patrolling the back fence.

He’s the author of 21 fantasy books in 3 languages (2 more languages coming this year – watch this space!), including 8 rip-roaring dragon fantasy bestsellers. Dragonfriend won a Gold Award for Fantasy in the 2016 IPPY Book Awards. Look out for Whisper Alive, his latest release. The 4th tale in the Dragonfriend series, Dragonstar, is coming soon!

When he’s not writing about Africa or dragons Marc can be found travelling to remote locations. He thinks there’s nothing better than standing on a mountaintop wondering what lies over the next horizon.

About the Narrator

A native of London, England, Shiromi Arserio is a stage actor, voice talent and audiobook narrator. She holds a B.A. in Theatre from Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance. In addition to narrating dozens of audiobooks, her voice can be heard in documentaries, e-learning projects and video games such as Nancy Drew: The Shattered Medallion. Shiromi currently resides in the Seattle area with her husband and her two furbabies.

Audio Excerpt

The Giveaway!

Aranya Giveaway: $50 Amazon Gift Card

August 1, 2017

Class Mom by Laurie Gelman

Laurie Gelman’s clever debut novel about a year in the life of a kindergarten class mom—a brilliant send-up of the petty and surprisingly cutthroat terrain of parent politics.

About Class Mom

Jen Dixon is not your typical Kansas City kindergarten class mom—or mom in general. Jen already has two college-age daughters by two different (probably) musicians, and it’s her second time around the class mom block with five-year-old Max—this time with a husband and father by her side. Though her best friend and PTA President sees her as the “wisest” candidate for the job (or oldest), not all of the other parents agree.

From recording parents’ response times to her emails about helping in the classroom, to requesting contributions of “special” brownies for curriculum night, not all of Jen’s methods win approval from the other moms. Throw in an old flame from Jen’s past, a hyper-sensitive “allergy mom,” a surprisingly sexy kindergarten teacher, and an impossible-to-please Real Housewife-wannabe, causing problems at every turn, and the job really becomes much more than she signed up for.

Relatable, irreverent, and hilarious in the spirit of Maria Semple, Class Mom is a fresh, welcome voice in fiction—the kind of novel that real moms clamor for, and a vicarious thrill-read for all mothers, who will be laughing as they are liberated by Gelman’s acerbic truths.

My Thoughts

Class Mom is by far one of the BEST books I have read all year. I have not laughed out loud (literally) from a book in what feels like forever, I even had tears in my eyes at times while reading. Class Mom is witty, honest and down to earth. I knew from page one that I would fall in love with this novel and it did not disappoint me at all.

Jen Dixon is down right hilarious. The way Laurie develops her character, you feel instantly connected to her from page one. She is the type of person that you just want and need as a best friend. She is honest, loving but still full of adventure and life. You can relate to her struggles, her fears and her ambitions. She is just like every one of us, the parts of us we are afraid to show and the parts of us that we allow the world to see.

In this novel, we watch as Jen navigates the world of “Class Mom” (a title I didn’t know existed but for those of us who don’t know what a Class Mom is – they are sort of like the Teacher’s Assistant that connects with the parents in the class giving updates, getting people signed up for parties, trips, etc..). I still vividly remember my two years as Parent Council president and while I loved the role, it was the politics I couldn’t handle. The parents that complained but would never help, the parents that had been on the Council but would hold back information until the last-minute and the ones who just truly made your life miserable (but there were also the really amazing ones and the students who made it all worth it!). Toss this in with her preparation for a mud run, an old crush returning to her life and life itself and you have a story that is just downright funny and one that so many of us can relate to. Although I really wish I could have her humour and witty responses, I am definitely not quick enough on my feet to come back with some of those replies – it would have served me well as President and even in life in genera.

I fell in love with the way Laurie writes. It is a personal novel and I felt like I was able to really get to know Jen. She writes the same way as you would expect to have a conversation with your best friend. It was intimate, honest and funny. You feel as though you are there with Jen and her friends in each moment, each struggle and each adventure.

Class Mom is the must read book of the year. You will laugh, you will cry and you will not want to put it down.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Barnes & Noble, Kindle, Kobo, iBooks and Amazon.

Rating: 5/5 +++

About the Author

Laurie Gelman was born and raised in the Great White North. She spent twenty-five years as a broadcaster in both Canada and the United States before trying her hand at writing novels. Laurie lives in New York City with her husband, Michael Gelman, and two teenage daughters. Class Mom is her first book.

You can connect with Laurie on her website and Twitter.

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