Category: book review

January 19, 2015

Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie the Pooh #giveaway

As a child, I grew up with the stories of Winnie the Pooh and his friendly gang. We had the collection of stuffed animals and the bedtime stories to go along with it. My love of Winnie the Pooh only grew stronger when I had my own children. I wanted them to love Winnie the Pooh just as much as I do!

It wasn’t until I was in my teens that I realized that the story I love so much was actually based on a true story! This true story comes to life in the new book, Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie the Pooh set to release on January 20th, 2015.

Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie the Pooh tells the story of Harry Coleburn, a veterinarian and a solder in training for World War I. On his way to training he finds a baby bear for sale at the train station and he knew within his heart that he had to care for the bear. Harry names the bear Winnie, short for his company’s home town of Winnipeg and brings Winnie with him to the training camp in England. She quickly becomes attached to Harry and follows him everywhere and soon becomes the regiment’s much-loved mascot. All too soon, Harry has to ship off to the battlegrounds in France and must find a loving home for Winnie. He chooses the London Zoo. While Winnie is there a very special little boy named Christopher Robin comes along and plays with Winnie.

This story is an incredibly heart warming tale that is the perfect story to share with your children. A tale of love, compassion and friendship that is timeless. The illustrations are wonderful and beautifully created to showcase the friendship and love that forms.

The book also includes original photographs of Harry, Winnie and Christopher Robin! This was a perfect idea to really connect the story to it’s past. Our kids loved looking at the photographs.

If you can’t wait and want to purchase a copy of the book you can do so now on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

The Giveaway!

Canadian residents, 18 years of age and older can enter to win their own copy using the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!
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Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

January 16, 2015

The Amish Blacksmith #review

A new novel from bestselling authors, Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner, The Amish Blacksmith is Book Two in The Men of Lancaster County Series.

About the Amish Blacksmith

Apprenticed blacksmith, Jake Miller, is skeptical of Priscilla Kinsinger’s ability to soothe troubled horses, especially when he has his own ideas on how to settle them. Six years earlier, Priscilla’s mother died in an awful accident in their home and Priscilla’s grief over losing her mother was so intense that she was sent to live with relatives in Indiana. She has only just returned to Lancaster County. Her homecoming shouldn’t matter to Jake who is interested in courting lighthearted, Amanda Shetler. But Jake’s boss who is also Priscilla’s uncle asks him to help reconnect Priscilla with community life and he has no choice but to do just that. He finds himself slowly drawn to the beautiful but emotionally wounded Priscilla.

Jake is determined to prove to her that it is not her fault that her mother died but what he discovers will challenge everything they both believe about the depth of love and the breadth of forgiveness.

My Thoughts

The Amish Blacksmith is a wonderfully written story about loss and finding hope again. Priscilla has lost so much in her life with the loss of her Mother. She feels so much guilt over this loss which makes no sense to her family. She has lost all interest in everything that she once loved especially horses. She used to have such a deep connection with horses but her guilt has overwhelmed her and she can not allow herself to feel happiness.

Jake knew her as a young child and at first feels obligated to integrate Priscilla back into their community. He begins to realize that there is so much more behind her pain and wants to help her find peace and forgiveness. They begin to forge a friendship and Priscilla finally opens up to Jake and this was quite the twist in the story for me! I was not expecting the reason that was revealed about her guilt. It was then up to Jake and Priscilla to learn how to apply their beliefs and religion in order to forgive themselves for the past in order to move into the future.

I loved this book and have re-read it again because it was so good.

Rating: 5/5

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

January 13, 2015

The Metabolism Solution Review & Giveaway

A sluggish metabolism can hinder weight loss and fitness goals. After years of research Lisa Lynn has developed an approach to eating and exercising to help maximize your metabolism in order to reach your weight loss goals.

About The Metabolism Solution

You might be thinking – not another weight loss plan! But here is the main difference between The Metabolism Solution and other weight loss solutions: Lisa Lynn focuses on the body and what we are consuming to help with weight loss. Lisa has studied and examined how to increase our own body’s natural metabolism to speed up our weight loss and fitness goals. Lisa also teaches us how to work out (yup there is a science behind exercise!) and how to use this to help you reach your goals. Lisa also includes some delicious recipes at the end of her book to help guide you in meal planning and eventually developing your own recipes. The Metabolism Solution is the perfect road map to transform your whole life.

About Lisa Lynn

Lisa Lynn is a celebrity fitness and nutrition expert who has dedicated three decades of her career to personal training, metabolic weight loss and performance nutrition. Coupled with her experience in fitness and nutrition she has earned four certificates from the International Sports and Sciences Association’s Professional Division.

Her research in metabolic boosting and performance nutrition has resulted in the development of her Leaner Lifestyle DVD series that help promote healthy fat loss by boosting stubborn metabolisms.

My Thoughts

I have been dedicating the last several months to healthier eating and (trying) to stick with my workouts. I have not always been faithful (hang head in shame!) and at times I have felt just like giving up. Mostly because I can not get my food and exercise to work for me. I am having a hard time revving up my metabolism and ensuring that I am reaching maximum results or any results to be very honest. This book was delivered at a perfect time for me.

Lisa devotes several of the chapters examining and explaining the how to and why’s of diet and exercise. Even with my own educational background I found I definitely needed this refresher to help open my eyes. While some of the advice will be hard to follow – cutting out the amount of red meat, fruits and adding in all the extra vegetables (which will definitely explain the weight loss achieved) a lot of it is good healthy advice that we should be incorporating into our daily lives.

Lisa also includes a fantastic set of recipes at the back of the book divided up into categories with some pretty fantastic and delicious sounding names. Each recipe was easy to follow with minimal steps to take to prepare the recipe. Which makes sense as the healthiest meals for us are the simplest ones with minimal ingredients. I found that it may be hard to stick to the increased vegetables with minimal fruits (she suggest one a day) as I love my fruits.

I really like the way Lisa writes. You feel like you are having a conversation with her and she has been there. Any excuses you may have she already knows and has the answer for you. She gets straight to the point and explains the theories she presents in an easy manner.

Overall, The Metabolism Solution, is a very helpful tool to aid in weight loss and if you can stick to Lisa’s suggestion you will be on your way to weight loss in no time! If you are like me and have a harder time you can adapt her concept to better suit your goals and have the benefits of eating healthy and losing weight (just slower than others may).

Rating: 4/5

Giveaway Time!
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Disclosure: I received a copy of the Metabolism Solution in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

December 2, 2014

The Publicist Book One by Christina George #AudioBook #review #giveaway

A young, independent woman trying to find her way in the publishing world in New York. The Publicist Book One by Christina George in audio book format has it all: adventure, finding oneself and a forbidden love.

About the Book

There is always more to every story.

A young woman wants to change the age old institution of publishing. Will she succeed? Maybe not but Kate sure wants to try. As a publicist with a large, respected New York publishing house, Kate finds herself at the mercy of a broken publishing system – books that don’t always sell and author egos that are often as big as the island of Manhattan!

Enter the star Editor, MacDermott Ellis. MacDermott is tall, handsome, charismatic as well as married. He is always ready to save the day. Kate wants to do the right thing but her hormones seem to be leading her decisions. Then there is Allan Lavigne, once a revered author, now as forgotten as yesterday’s news and his nephew Nick, who wants to sweep Kate away from New York for another coast, California.

As Kate tries to navigate the landmine of publicity, the over the top author expectations and the careful dance of, “I’m sorry your book isn’t on the bestseller list this week”, she also finds authors who are painfully overlooked by a publisher wanting more celebrities and more scandal.

My Thoughts

This was my very first audio book (no lie – my Dad is a huge fan of them but I have never listened to one before) so I was super excited to wind down each night with this book.

When I first saw the novel I thought it would be solely a romantic novel but I was pleasantly surprised. While there was a strong focus on the sparks between MacDermott and Kate, we are able to see into Kate’s life as a young publicist trying to make a difference in the world. She is like any other young woman trying to find her place in the world – she struggles, she loves and she cares for those around her. Sometimes it is her caring heart that causes her to be hurt in turn.

I loved the audio book format of this book – the narrator was excellent truly bringing each character to life. It was so easy to fall into the story this way – I was able to close my eyes, lay back and let her bring them to life. This is definitely one book that will not disappoint!

About the Author

Christina George has worked in publishing for twenty years (give or take). Here’s what this book isn’t. It’s not a slam against publishing (though it is broken) and it’s not a slam against authors (though some of them are crazy). This book is not autobiographical though many of the stories are true. No you won’t know which ones, cause it’s more fun to guess, right? George continues to work in publicity and helps authors because at the end of the day she does love books, she loves publishing, and she loves authors. She hopes you’ll enjoy this romp through Kate’s world as much as she enjoyed creating it.

Rating: 5/5

Make sure to follow Christina on Twitter and Facebook.

Giveaway Time! Enter below to win your own spa basket or Amazon gift card!

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Disclosure: I received an audio book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

November 29, 2014

The Chrysalis by Bindu Adai Mathew #review

Love, loss and finding oneself amongst different cultures – The Chrysalis by Bindu Adai Mathew has it all!

About The Chrysalis

Our main character, Sarai must walk the fine line between honouring her Indian heritage and being true to her own Western mindset. Her story unveils the kaleidoscope of human emotion from ecstasy to heartbreak to triumph, along with every nuance in between.

What begins with a story of a young Indian girl who faces the pressures of an arranged marriage quickly crescendos into a complex story of family, love, friendship. What Sarai learns is that life is truly a journey.

My Thoughts

I fell in love with The Chrysalis within the first chapter. Bindu has an intimate way of writing where you feel like you are having a conversation with your best friend, Sarai. She makes you laugh out loud, cry and even challenge your own beliefs.

In this novel, we find Sarai having to recover from a significant loss in her life. A loss so great that it changes the path she had drawn out for herself. Suddenly Sarai is left lost, afraid and so unsure of what she should do. She questions her own beliefs, her actions as well as the beliefs of her family.

Sarai is a first generation American whose family holds strict beliefs on how a young Indian woman should behave, when she should be married, who she should marry and the list goes on! I am sure many individuals can relate to her story as she tries to adjust to life in America, her own values and beliefs while honouring her culture and family. She is a young woman on a road to self discovery and it was a pleasure to be able to share this journey with Sarai. A definite must read – I can not wait to see what other novels Bindu has in store!

You can find The Chrysalis on Bindu’s website as well as on Amazon.

Rating: 4.5/5

About Bindu Adai

Bindu started college as a pre-med student but diverted from the traditional path to pursue her love of books and writing. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree and double majors in English and Mass Media. She has completed her first novel, The Chrysalis along with 38 Candles, a personal memoir about the rediscovery of her dream to write a novel and her journey to publication. She is currently working on her next novel, Almost Paradise: Book 1 of the Garden of Eden, a young adult novel.

Winnie: The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie the Pooh #giveaway

The Amish Blacksmith #review

The Metabolism Solution Review & Giveaway

The Publicist Book One by Christina George #AudioBook #review #giveaway

The Chrysalis by Bindu Adai Mathew #review

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