Category: book review

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.

July 26, 2017

Children’s Illustrated World Atlas #BackToSchoolDKCanada

Children love to learn about the world around them – the people, the culture and the wildlife in exciting new places. It is so important to fuel this love with exciting facts and colourful imagery to help draw them and DK Canada’s Children’s Illustrated World Atlas does this and more!

About Children’s Illustrated World Atlas

Children’s Illustrated World Atlas is a visual atlas that brings the world and its people to life with modern mapping, pictures, facts and stories.

Using modern mapping Children’s Illustrated World Atlas takes kids on the ultimate round-the-world trip, from the Americas to Australasia and Oceania.

Each detailed map is accompanied by pictures and stories that explore the society, culture, and history of each region, giving young readers an immediate sense of place not conveyed in standard atlases. Bite-size, country-by-country facts and stats are included at the start of each chapter for additional knowledge, and a place-name index identifies 7,500 locations around the world. Kids will even learn about popular discussion topics such as globalization and the environment in a contemporary introduction section.

Our Thoughts

As we begin purchasing back to school items, it is important to also keep in mind helpful tools and books that you can purchase to help your child before and during school. DK Canada’s Children’s Illustrated World Atlas is a beautiful, fully updated hard cover visual atlas that encourages children to learn more about the world around them.

The book is divided up first by continent and then again in each section by region (for example in Africa, the book examines North, Northeast, Central, West and Southern Africa). Each section has a map that shows mountain regions and key cities and provinces in each region. Each region has an introduction, roughly a couple of paragraphs long, followed by key imagery of the most important cultural, artifacts, festivals, diet, animals and more of each region.

The bright, bold colours of the print and images will help capture your child’s attention as they start their journey around the world (and maybe even pick several countries that they want to visit like ours did!). The back of the book includes a Gazetteer that holds all the key cities that are mentioned throughout the book and on what page it is mentioned on, so if your child wants to find information quick they can head to the back to find out exactly what they need.

The Children’s Illustrated World Atlas is a must have item in your back to school and home library collection! You can purchase a copy of Children’s Illustrated World Atlas on DK Canada.

Rating: 5/5

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

July 21, 2017

My Daughter’s Legacy Book Review

A thrilling tale of two women longing to follow God’s leading, make the most of second chances, and find true love at last.

About My Daughter’s Legacy

A thrilling tale of two women longing to follow God’s leading, make the most of second chances, and find true love at last.

Virginia, 1864

Therese Jennings cannot abide the thought of owning slaves. When her widowed mother inherits a plantation, Therese flees to Civil War Richmond, where she works as a governess by day and tends to wounded soldiers at night. But when trouble befalls her family, can she reconcile her obligations with her beliefs? And will love-whether with an old beau or a handsome new suitor-ever fit in her broken world?

Virginia, Present Day

Nicole Talbot’s life is back on track after years of substance abuse. Home from college for the summer, she’s finally ready to share a shocking secret, one that raises new questions about a traumatic childhood experience. But when facts she uncovers cast doubt on her family’s legacy, she must risk all that she’s gained-her fresh start, her family’s trust, and her growing relationship with a new man-to unlock the secrets of the past.

My Thoughts

An incredible story of two women born years apart who face similar struggles and are tied together not only by family but by the mysterious disappearance of an important family artifact.

I fell in love with both of our main characters, Therese and Nicole. Therese is a young woman growing up in the South during the Civil War. She loves her home and her family but her personal values and beliefs are against everything that the South stands for. She struggles with the fact that her family owns slaves and their disregard for her feelings. We watch as throughout the novel, she grows from a quieter young woman who listens to the wishes of her Mother and her deceased Father, to a young woman who knows herself and has the confidence to walk away from her Mother and her plantation in order to stand up for her beliefs. I really liked her character the most – she was strong, independent, confident in her beliefs and courageous to stand up for them.

Nicole is a young woman who was traumatized by an incident that she viewed as young girl. It is something that hurt her so deeply, she became an addict. She had to work hard to overcome her addictions and regain the trust of her family and friends again. My heart would go out to her when she constantly faced doubt from those around her or when her past would be brought up. She had to fight hard to push past her history.

I loved how the authors intertwined the stories of the two young woman as they struggled with their own fears, breaking free of the chains that tied them down and finding hope and love again. Both young women must fight to have those who love them believe in them, trust their decisions and in the end solve a mystery that plagued both young women. My Daughter’s Legacy is a beautiful story that is well written and planned out – I would love to see a second installment for this book!

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

Rating: 5/5

About the Authors

Mindy Starns Clark is the bestselling author of more than 20 books, both fiction and nonfiction, with over a million copies sold. Mindy and her husband, John, have two adult children and live in Pennsylvania.

Leslie Gould, a former magazine editor, is the author of numerous novels, including “Beyond the Blue” and “Garden of Dreams.” She received her master of fine arts degree from Portland State University and lives in Oregon with her husband, Peter, and their four children.

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

July 15, 2017

Appointment with Yesterday Book Review

Appointment with Yesterday is, ultimately, the story of hardships overcome and a determined boy’s journey toward finding his destiny.

About Appointment with Yesterday

A poignant and compelling first novel, Appointment with Yesterday tells the story of Yanni, a cheeky and delightful Greek boy growing up in a small town on an island in the eastern Aegean.

Left in the care of his loving grandparents, Yanni endures the deprivation and terror of the German occupation during World War II and finally leaves his beloved homeland and family to rejoin the parents who had left him behind to make a better life for themselves in America.

Filled with heartbreaking and heartwarming stories of love, devotion, disenchantment, and dashed dreams, Appointment with Yesterday is, ultimately, the story of hardships overcome and a determined boy’s journey toward finding his destiny.

My Thoughts

Appointment with Yesterday is a beautiful story that follows the life of Yanni from his youth growing up in Greece to his teenage and adult years in America.

His story is one that I am sure so many older adults and their children can relate to. His parents left him in the care of his grandparents just before the war erupted in Europe. They left him in order to find their way in America and make money. A struggle that so many people found themselves in, leaving their old country to come to the new country to make their fortune. What they find instead is a bit shocking, it is not the life that they expected and they struggled with this new life and leaving their son.

When it is time for Yanni to join his family, he faces his own struggles – he is leaving everything he has ever known in his young life to be with parents he does not know in a culture that is so very unlike his own. We watch him struggle to get used to the culture, the people and their way of life. Throughout the story you feel so connected with Yanni and his journey. You want him to succeed but at the same time to never lose his roots and where he came from.

I fell in love with this special book and have re-read it several times already. I cried (and I was reading this book at the soccer field when this happened!), I laughed and my heart went out to Yanni and his family. You feel as though you are a part of him and his family. You are with him as he struggles and you can fully appreciate every step, every happy moment and every moment of pain.

Appointment with Yesterday is a beautiful story of a young man who comes into his own in a new country and in a new way of life. It is full of hope, perseverance, strength and faith. It is a definite must read for young adults and adults alike.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository and Books a Million.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Christopher Stratakis was born and raised in Greece. After moving to America, he graduated from Drexel University in 1951 and New York University School of Law in 1955. Shortly after joining the law firm of Poles, Tublin & Patestides in 1960, he became a partner, specializing in admiralty and corporate law.

He has written and published several articles, lectured on professional and historical subjects, served as Legal Advisor to several non-profits (pro bono), and was an arbitrator in maritime disputes. He is the author of Mnimes “Memories” (2010), a book of essays, short stories, and poems that he wrote as a teenager. In 2015, he co-edited Chains on Parallel Roads, a book published by Panchiaki “Korais” Society of New York. In recognition of his extensive community involvement, he has been the recipient of several awards from religious, governmental, and educational institutions.

Mr. Stratakis lives with his wife in New York City. He is the proud father of three and grandfather of three. This is his first novel.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

July 14, 2017

DK Readers: Our Great Prime Ministers

Celebrate our Canadian history with discovering more about our government, how it works and our Prime Ministers.

About Our Great Prime Ministers

What is a democracy? How does Canada’s government work? What’s the difference between the Senate and the House of Commons? And just what does a Prime Minister do, anyway?

Discover the answers to these questions and more in DK Readers Our Great Prime Ministers.

This Level 4 DK Reader will build reading skills and teach vocabulary while telling the story of Canada’s government, how it is formed, how it works, and profiling 12 of Canada’s Prime Ministers throughout history, including Sir John A. Macdonald, Louis St. Laurent, Lester B. Pearson, Pierre Trudeau, Stephen Harper, and more.

Perfect for 9-11 year olds reading independently, reading becomes a fact-discovering adventure with these Level 4 readers. Supporting and encouraging a lifetime love of reading, nonfiction subjects are clearly explained, described vividly, and brought to life with true stories, fascinating statistics, and photographic images. Additional information boxes are full of extra fun facts, and topics are developed with additional maps and charts.

My Thoughts

The DK Reader Our Great Prime Minister, which is a level four, is the perfect book for summer time learning (and learning throughout the year) especially in the context of celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday. In school, we learn the basics about our government but there is only so much that teachers can teach in the amount of time they are given.

This book gives both children (and adults – I needed the lessons again!) an excellent overview of the history of democracy in Canada, the divisions of our government and how these work and how it is formed (from campaigning to election day). The book also contains a history of some of the most notable Prime Ministers in our history. It gives an overview of their time in office and some of their key milestones, whether they be positive or negative.

The book is very easy to read out loud for beginner readers and well written for more advanced readers. The font, size and page breaks with photos is well-balanced for readers who are advancing towards novels. I really enjoyed learning the history (some of it I had forgotten) and we would spend some time after each chapter quizzing each other. While a smaller book, it is jammed backed full of important information and facts for children and adults. It makes a great accompanying book for the education that children receive at school.

You can purchase a copy of this book on DK Canada here.

Rating: 5/5

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