Monthly Archives: December 2021

Mother’s Love: Animal moms and their babies by Diana Aleksandrova (Book Review)

MOTHER'S LOVE by Diana Aleksandrova

 
A mother’s love is like the air;
you may not see it, but it’s there.
 
A mother’s love is universal; and yet the way each species shows its love is unique.
 
In a cloud, I’ll build a nest.
For you, I want the very best.  
My love is fierce and very bright.
It makes the world feel safe and right.       
 
Mother’s Love is a lyrical celebration of the unconditional bond every mother has with her child. Written from the point of view of ten different animal moms, ranging from elephants to eagles it depicts the various sides of motherhood, including joy, resilience, and sacrifice.
 
 
 
Buy the Book:
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I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
 
First and foremost, I would like to praise Svilen Dimitrov’s illustrations. They were absolutely precious. Svilen made animals that we wouldn’t consider cute very adorable. For example, the momma and baby bat hanging side by side from a tree branch. Also, the color choices for each page complemented the animals they accompanied beautifully—all in all, lovely artistic design. 


Diana Aleksandrova’s story was sweet. She shows readers how mothers love and take care of their babies. For non-readers, this book will help teach or reinforce animals’ names. For young readers, the text is simple enough most they won’t have too much trouble reading this book alone. 


Even though Mother’s Love was designed for younger readers, I enjoyed the “Did You Know” section very much. I didn’t know every fact about octopuses, so thank you for teaching this “old” lady something new. 🙂


My daughter knew most of the facts about the animals, but she said that’s because they had a lesson over them in school. Plus, she loves learning facts about animals. She’s a bookworm. 🙂


No matter what reading level your child is at, I think they’ll fall in love with the animals, the cute babies, dialogue, and bonus material. 


Happy reading! 

 
 
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤
 
 
 
 
 

Meet the Author:
Author Diana Aleksandrova

 
Born and raised in Bulgaria, Diana Aleksandrova moved across the ocean in pursuit of the American dream, only to realize that her dream was not limited to any one country, or even continent. Rather, it was within her all along.
Diana finds joy in creating stories that make kids of all ages laugh-out-loud, open up their minds and hearts, and let their imaginations run freely.
“Books are our tickets to adventure. They let us explore fascinating places, and join charming heroes, crooked villains, and magical creatures through unforgettable journeys. My job is to create the itinerary.”
 
 
connect with the author: 
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Popper and Friends: Popper Finds a New Home by IL Ritchie (Book Review)

POPPER FINDS A NEW HOME by IL Ritchie
 
 
Popper is a sweet little woodpecker who is trying to find a new home. Now that he is grown, it’s time for him to leave the nest and find a home of his own. The first book in the Popper and Friends series, follow along as Popper explores different options and gets helpful advice from his friends.
 
 
Buy Links:
Amazon ~ B&N
add to goodreads
 
 
 
 
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
 
Story: Like most parents, we hope that when our kiddos leave the nest, they don’t “fly” too far away from home. We want them (our children) to spread their wings and soar but still be close to us (parents) as well. 


I loved following Popper’s search for a new home & reading which ones were not ideal and why. When parents or educators read Popper and Friends: Popper Finds a New Homaloud, I’s suggest asking your children or students if they know why certain places would be the wrong home for Popper before you divulge the answer. 


 
Illustrations: Yulia Potts seemed to tap into a child’s mind when they drew up the animals and people. For example, Popper’s color scheme was full of color and nothing like a realistic woodpecker, which is spectacular, in my opinion. I think children will love the character even more because of it. My youngest laughed at Filbert the squirrel’s plump cheeks and the dizzy-looking kitty, who appeared to be eating a sausage link. She even thought Webster the spider was cute, and she never finds them adorable. 


Popper and Friends: Popper Finds a New Home by IL Ritchie is appropriate for various ages. Non-readers can point out and name the animals and make their sounds, while experienced reads will have little to no trouble with the text. It’s also a great story to read in a classroom or by a librarian. 


Craft idea: Build a birdhouse. Draw your version of a woodpecker and its home. 
 

 
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤
 
 
add to goodreads
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:
Author IL Ritchie
A California native, IL Ritchie lives in San Francisco, where he is creating new adventures for Popper and his friends.
 
connect with the author: goodreads

 
 
 
 
 
 

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Three May Keep a Secret: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure by Richard T. Ryan (Book Spotlight)

 
THREE MAY KEEP A SECRET: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure by Richard T. Ryan

 
When a meeting with a client goes disastrously wrong, Sherlock Holmes soon finds himself involved in a case of murder with two dead bodies and too few clues.

From some clear pieces of glass and a raven’s feather, the Great Detective must divine exactly who the client was and what prompted him to seek assistance at 221B. Fortunately, Holmes has a number of experts upon whom he can rely as well as his own vast store of esoteric knowledge.

Treading a twisted path, Holmes soon finds himself matching wits with an unseen criminal, who appears to be the equal of the late Professor Moriarty. At the same time, he is tasked with sparing the monarchy any possible embarrassment that may stem from the investigation.

It’s a deadly game of cat-and-mouse that finds Holmes and Watson attending underground auctions, using rare and priceless artifacts as bait and holding a late night vigil in anticipation of deterring a theft, all the while trying to understand how a priceless antiquity fits into their investigation.

 

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ Amazon.UK
B&N ~ Kobo BookDepository
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:
Author Richard T. Ryan
 
A lifelong Sherlockian, Richard Ryan is the author of “The Vatican Cameos: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure,” “The Stone of Destiny,” “The Druid of Death” and “The Merchant of Menace,” and “Through a Glass Starkly,” all from MX Publishing. “Three May Keep a Secret” is his sixth Holmes pastiche, and he is currently at work on his seventh.

He has also written “B Is for Baker Street (My First Sherlock Holmes Book),” an alphabet book he penned for his grandchildren.

Among his other credits are “The Official Sherlock Holmes Trivia Book,” a book on Agatha Christie trivia and the well-received murder mystery “Deadly Relations” that has been produced twice off-Broadway.

He pursued his graduate studies at the University of Notre Dame, where he majored in medieval literature. To this day, he remains a die-hard fan of the Fighting Irish.

 

 

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The Christmas Wedding Guest by Susan Mallery (Book Showcase)

 

The Somerville sisters believe in love, but they’ve lost faith it will happen for them. Reggie hasn’t been home since the end of the world’s shortest engagement. When her parents decide to renew their vows, she buffs up her twinkle to help with the Christmas wedding. Unexpectedly, Toby, her first love, is back too, and the spark between them shines as brightly as ever. In the spirit of the season, will they let go of past hurts and greet the New Year together?

Done waiting for the one, Dena is pregnant and on her own—on purpose. But then a gorgeous, sad-eyed songwriter checks in to a room at her inn. Micah, unable to write since he lost his wife, finds inspiration in Dena’s determination to be a mom. One snowflake-speckled kiss and he’s a goner. But Dena is afraid to believe that a rock star could fall for a cookie-cutter small-town girl like her.

As the Christmas wedding draws closer, these two sisters just might unwrap the most treasured gift of all—love.

 

Kindle Purchase Link

Print Purchase Link

 

 

 

 

“It’s a vacuum,” Reggie Somerville said, trying to sound less doubtful than she felt. “You reinvented the vacuum?”

Gizmo stared at her, his hurt obvious, even behind his thick glasses. “It’s a smart vacuum.”

“Don’t we already have those round ones that zip across a room?”

“They’re not smart. They’re average. Mine is smart.”

Reggie was less sure about the vacuum’s intelligence than her client’s. Gizmo had a brain that existed on a different plane than those of average humans. His ideas were extraordinary. His execution, however, wasn’t always successful. A basic knowledge of coding shouldn’t be required to work any household appliance—a fact she’d tried to explain to him about fifty-seven thousand times.

She eyed the triangular-shaped head of the vacuum. The bright purple casing was appealing, and she liked that it could roam on its own or be a regular stick vacuum if that was what she wanted. The printed instructions—about eighteen pages long—were a little daunting, but she would get through them.

If the trial went well, she and Gizmo would discuss the next steps, including her design suggestions. Once those were incorporated, they would start beta testing his latest invention. In the meantime, she would be doing a lot of vacuuming.

“I’ll get you my report in a couple of weeks,” she said.

Gizmo, a slight, pale twenty-year-old who lived with his extended family just north of Seattle, offered her a small smile. “You can have until the first of the year. I’m going to be busy with Christmas decorations for the house. We started putting them up just after Halloween, and it’s about to get really intense. I’ve worked out some of the kinks from last year, so the animatronics look more real. It’s taking a lot of time. My grandma’s really into it.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“We’re launching the Friday after Thanksgiving, but we’ll be upgrading everything through December. Come by close to Christmas. You’ll be blown away.”

“I can’t wait,” she said with a laugh.

She and Gizmo talked for a few more minutes before she walked him out of her home office. When the door closed behind her client, Belle, her one-hundred-twenty-pound Great Dane, poked her large head out from behind the desk.

“You didn’t come say goodbye to Gizmo,” Reggie said. “I thought you liked him.”

Belle shifted her gaze to the purple vacuum sitting in the middle of the area rug, obviously pointing out that potential death still lurked.

“It’s not going to hurt you,” Reggie told her. “It’s not even turned on.”

Belle’s brows drew together, as if she wasn’t willing to accept the validity of that claim. Reggie tried to keep from smiling. Belle made a low sound in her throat, as though reminding Reggie of Gizmo’s last invention.

“Yes, I do remember what happened with the dog walker robot,” Reggie admitted.

The sturdy, odd-looking robot had started out well enough—walking a very concerned Belle around their small yard. Unfortunately, about ten minutes in, something had gone wrong with the programming, and the robot had started chasing her instead. Belle, not the bravest of creatures, had broken through the screen door in her effort to escape the attack, hiding behind Reggie’s desk for the rest of the day.

Gizmo had been crushed by the failure and had needed nearly as much reassurance as the dog. Sometimes, Reggie thought with a sigh, her job was the weirdest one ever.

“I’m going to leave this right here,” Reggie told Belle. “It’s turned off, so you can poke at it with your nose and get used to it.”

Belle took two steps back toward the desk, her body language clearly saying she would never get used to it, and why couldn’t Reggie have a regular job that didn’t threaten the life of her only pet?

“Or you could sit on it,” Reggie pointed out. “The robot weighs about ten pounds. You’re more than ten times that size. You could probably crush it like a bug.”

The dog’s brown eyes widened slightly, filled with affront.

Reggie held in another smile. “I’m not commenting on your weight. You’re very beautiful and way skinnier than me.”

She settled on the sofa and patted the space next to her. Belle loped all of three strides before jumping up and leaning heavily against Reggie. The soft rose-colored sweater Belle wore to protect herself from the damp cold of mid-November looked good on her dark gray fur. Reggie put an arm around her dog and pulled her phone out of her pocket. A quick glance at the screen told her she’d missed a call. From her mother.

She tried to ignore her sudden sense of dread. Not that she didn’t love her parents—she did. Very much. They were good people who cared about her. But they were going to insist she come home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and she couldn’t think of a single reason to refuse.

Last year had been different. Last year, she’d stayed in Seattle, with only Belle for company, enduring the holidays rather than enjoying them. She’d given herself through New Year’s to mourn the breakup and subsequent humiliation that went with the man of her dreams proposing at the Lighting of the Trees on the Friday after Thanksgiving, arranging an impromptu celebration party on Saturday, and then dumping her on Sunday.

After sharing her happiness with nearly everyone she knew, having her friends coo over her gorgeous ring and ask about wedding plans, she’d had to explain Jake had changed his mind. She assumed. His actual words, “I can’t do this. It’s over. I’m sorry,” hadn’t given her much to work with.

Hurt and ashamed, she’d buried herself in work and her life in Seattle. She hadn’t returned home to Wishing Tree even once since it had happened, preferring to lick her wounds in private. She’d told herself she was healing, but Reggie knew the truth was less flattering. She was hiding, and it was time to suck it up and get over herself. She’d worked hard to put Jake behind her and move on with her life. Thanksgiving was next week, and she was going home, like she did every year. Besides, it wasn’t as if she was still mourning her ex-fiancé. She’d gotten over him, and now it was time to demonstrate that to her hometown…and possibly herself.

“At least, that’s the plan,” Reggie told her dog and pushed the button to phone her mother.

“Hey, Mom,” she said when the call was answered.

“Reggie! It’s you. You’ll never guess. It’s so wonderful. Your dad and I are getting married.”

Reggie blinked a couple of times. “You’re already married. Your thirty-fifth wedding anniversary is coming up next month. I thought we’d have a party or something.” She and her sister had talked about the possibility a couple of weeks ago.

Her mother laughed. “You’re right. Technically, we’re married. We eloped and I have to tell you, I’ve always regretted not having a big wedding. Your father pointed out I’ve been upset about that for the last thirty-five years, so maybe it was time to do something about it. We’ve decided we’re renewing our vows with a big wedding and a reception afterwards. It’ll be the Wednesday before Christmas.”

“You’re having a wedding?”

“Yes. Up at the resort. We’re inviting everyone. It’s been so much fun, but the planning is getting out of hand. I was hoping you could help me.”

 

Click HERE to read Chapter One in its entirety!

Kindle Purchase Link

Print Purchase Link

 

 

Meet the Author:

SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship, romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations,” and readers seem to agree—40 million copies of her books have sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.

Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She’s passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the two ragdoll cats and adorable poodle who think of her as mom.

 

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Verdaderamente Poderoso by Dr. Rosa Romero (Book Spotlight)

Verdaderamente Poderoso by Dr. Rosa Romero
 
Allow the powerful word of God to transform your life, changing your daily routine through your thoughts and the way you speak. In order to live according to truth and wisdom, you have to learn to reason yourself. With an important and simple message, Verdaderamente Poderoso will help readers find their purpose in life. Identifiable from beginning to end, the book is based on real testimonies that will touch the depths of one’s soul.
 
 
 
 
For Spanish readers (info taken from the book’s info on Amazon)
 
Permite que la ponderosa palabra de Dios transforme tu vida, cambiando tu rutina cotidiana atraves de tus pensamientos y tu manera de hablar. Para poder vivir segun la verdad y sabiduria, hay que aprender a razonar uno mismo. Con un mensaje importante y sencillo este libro te ayudara ha encontrar tu proposito en la vida, te identificaras con el de principio a fin, esta basado en testimonios reales que tocaran lo mas profundo de tu alma.
Reconoceras que eres el unico dueno de tu destino y que tienes el poder de reescribir tu historia, que cada crisis, cada reto son para profundizarnos en una intimidad con el creador. Busca dentro de ti hasta encontrar a Dios, el esta en el interior de todas las personas, todo mundo tiene por lo menos un atributo positivo, el cual es visible a todos aquellos con una mente y corazon abiertos.
 
Rosa Romero una gran mujer de Dios, multifacetica con un doctorado en letras humanas, madre, empresaria, instructora de comestilogia, master coach certificada, Pastor y Profeta que obedeciendo la volunta de Dios junto a su esposo el Pastor Fredy Gonzalez, iniciaron en el 2015 la Iglesia Cristiana Unity Life El Reyno de Dios para las Naciones en el area de Manassas y son ellos mismos quienes continuan al frente de la misma como Ministros Principales.
 
 
Buy the Book
Amazon B&N
 
 
 
 
 
 

Rosa Romero, is a great woman of God, multifaceted with a doctorate in human letters, mother, businesswoman, ideology instructor, certified master coach, Pastor and Prophet who has been obeying God’s will with her husband Pastor Fredy Gonzales. Since 2015, they have served as Chief Ministers at the Christian Church Unity Life El Reyno de Dios para las Naciones in the Manassas area.

connect with the author: goodreads

 
 
 
 
 

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