Brain Crumbs: Stumbling through time with a crumbling mind by Sasha Dylus (Book Review)

A quirky collection of witty and whimsical poems for rhyme lovers of all ages. This lighthearted, pick-up-anywhere book is packed with dozens of bite-size ballads that are guaranteed to tickle the brain. From odd thoughts and ideas, to life lessons and laughs, Brain Crumbs takes a delightfully deep look at the world through the eyes of writer Sasha Dylus.

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

Brain Crumbs: Stumbling through time with a crumbling mind by Sasha Dylus is a collection that touches upon many subject areas. For instance, I believe “The fish” was about going with the flow and being open to new experiences. 

“Well aged” spoke the truth: Time seems to move slowly, but then again, it moves swiftly too. In a blink of an eye, you’ve gone from babe to an older adult to not existing. 

“POV” was quite fascinating. I pondered whose mind I would like to swap with and why. A scientist? A politician? A family member? Hmm, maybe even my cat? Yeah, I think the cat brain swap would prove quite interesting. I often wondered what the heck my furbaby was thinking. 

“Lovebird” went from creepy to hilarious. Let me explain. First, the poet describes gluing a person’s image onto their eyeball. Okay, I know they didn’t mean literally: at least, I hope they didn’t. In the end, the writer made me smile when they stated the person they are obsessed with only shows them the middle finger. Yes, I think they were obsessed due to the eyeball line. 

“Small problems” used a rock in a shoe to symbolize not sweating the small stuff. Okay, I don’t know about you, but a pebble in a shoe is aggravating. That said, I agree you should not sweat the small things. Focus on the bigger picture! 

There were many other poems I liked very much in Brain Crumbs: Stumbling through time with a crumbling mind by Sasha Dylus. Why? To be honest, I didn’t have to think very hard to interpret their meaning. These poems were simple, straightforward, but well written. Minor change: I wish pictures, symbols, or something else were on each page to draw the eye. 

Brilliant cover! It caught my attention right away! 


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

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

Meet the Author

Sasha Dylus is a Canadian author currently residing in Toronto, Ontario. His writing style is greatly inspired by his favourite childhood authors, Shel Silverstein and Dennis Lee. His work covers a wide variety of topics, using wit and comedy to engage readers of all ages.

Reedsy Link

 

 

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The Seraphim’s Song (The F.I.G. Mysteries, Book 5) by Barbara Casey (Book Spotlight)

The Seraphim's Song (A F.I.G. Mystery) by Barbara Casey

 
Many changes have taken place at Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women while Carolina and Larry were on their honeymoon in Frascati, Italy, on the Granchelli farm. The newlyweds have been given a larger bungalow; Ms. Alcott, niece of the founder of Wood Rose, and Mrs. Ball, assistant to the headmaster, have moved into a bungalow together; and Jimmy Bob, caretaker and night watchman at Wood Rose has moved from his family home down the road a bit into a small bungalow on the orphanage property with his hound dog Tick, as well as his new cat and her litter of kittens.

Summer is coming to an end and the F.I.G.s will soon return to the universities to complete their special projects. They are starting to feel anxious, and the coping mechanisms they have used their entire lives are starting to work overtime. Dara’s thoughts turn to an unknown language, possibly from another world; Mackenzie focuses on the relationship of math to music; and Jennifer keeps hearing the note of B flat minor and is drawing dark swirls on her canvas board.

Buy the Book:
Amazon Purchase Link
B&N ~ Books-A-Million
and local bookstores everywhere
Add to Goodreads
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:

Author Barbara Casey

Barbara Casey is the author of several award-winning novels and book-length works of nonfiction for both adults and young adults, and numerous articles, poems, and short stories. Several of her books have been optioned for major films and television series.

In addition to her own writing, Barbara is an editorial consultant and president of the Barbara Casey Agency. Established in 1995, she represents authors throughout the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Japan.

In 2018 Barbara received the prestigious Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and Top Professional Award for her extensive experience and notable accomplishments in the field of publishing and other areas.

Barbara lives on a mountain in Georgia with three cats who adopted her: Homer, a Southern coon cat; Reese, a black cat; and Earl Gray, a gray cat and Reese’s best friend.

Connect with the author:  

 
 
 
 
 
 

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The Nikki Bryant Cozy Mysteries by Lauren Carr (2 Book Spotlight)

KILLER DEADLINE (a Nikki Bryant Cozy Mystery) by Lauren Carr

 ​
“I love this cozy mystery! It is full of suspense, action-packed, fast pace with that small-town feeling. I love the characters, I have to admit, I fell in love with Elmo on the spot! I loved Nikki’s spunk and determination. She keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire book! And I usually try to pick up all if the clues and figure out whodunnit but this story kept taking twists and turns that I was surprised. This is just type of cozy mysteries I love to read.” – 5-Star review by Splashes of Joy

“An excellent blend of mystery and suspense with comic relief and romance…. Lauren has a great way of balancing this without taking away from the story. We have well-developed characters, that you can’t help but feel a connection to. I loved Nikki’s character but also her connections to her hometown, her family and her lost love.” – review by Working Mommy Journal

 

 
Book Series Description:
Folks in the small town of Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, claim that where Nikki Bryant goes, trouble is not far behind. Her refusal to back down from a challenge has made Nikki Bryant a top investigative journalist.

After years of chasing mysteries around the globe, Nikki Bryant returns home to Pine Grove to take over managing WKPG-TV and reconnects with her first love, Ryan Spaulding, the chief of the state police crime lab.

It doesn’t take long for Nikki and her family to realize that you can’t keep this ace reporter and her boxer dog Elmo behind a desk–especially when a mystery is afoot.

 
Buy the Series:
Amazon.com
 

 
 
Meet Nikki Bryant!
KILLER DEADLINE (a Nikki Bryant Cozy Mystery) by Lauren Carr
 

 
“Here we go! Carr is a master storyteller who always offers a plot full of twists and turns, a bit of humor to offset the dark, and a unique cast of characters. In Killer Deadline that cast includes – handsome Ryan, her first love (who is now her step-brother); a mysterious social media friend called Nerdy Guy; Elmo, a super smart dog, a boxer, she rescued who has become a social media star and has a penchant for cleaning; a TV station full of suspicious employees; and more.

“This book is a wonderful read to pick up at the end of a long day. It truly is a “cozy murder mystery.”  I promise, it’ll draw you in right from page one and keep you turning the pages until you reach the very last page. I can’t wait for the second book in this series.” – Marilyn R. Wilson, Olio by Marilyn

 

 
Book Description:

​Folks in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, claim that where Nikki Bryant goes, trouble is not far behind. Her refusal to back down from a challenge has made Nikki Bryant a top investigative journalist.

When an online friend nudges her to join him in a pact to reconnect with their first loves, Nikki and her boxer dog Elmo leave the bright lights of Las Vegas for the charming town of Pine Grove. There, she must face the biggest challenges in her career and life—the first love she had left behind and her father’s unsolved murder.

But before she has time to unpack her car, Nikki stumbles upon the dead body of local news anchor, Ashleigh Addison, her childhood rival. Could Ashleigh’s death be connected to an explosive news story that she had teased about airing live? Did that explosive story have anything to do with the murder of Nikki’s father?

With the clues in her father’s cold case hot again, Nikki intends to chase down the story of her life until she catches his killer—no matter what it takes. 

 
Buy the Book:
Amazon.com ~ Audible ~ BookBub
Add to Goodreads
 

 
 
Nikki Bryant’s Next Case Takes Her to
THE WRONG SIDE OF MURDER!
THE WRONG SIDE OF MURDER (a Nikki Bryant Cozy Mystery) by Lauren Carr

 
Book Description:

One spring morning, Jodi Gibbons got up and went to school as she did every day. Her young life went sideways though when the police found that her mother had been brutally killed during the night.

Twenty years later, many in Pine Grove believe Jodi got away with murder. After all, how could she have possibly slept through her mother’s violent death in the very next room?

After decades of silence, Jodi accepts investigative journalist Nikki Bryant’s invitation to tell her side of the story. However, before the interview can take place, someone silences Jodi permanently.

Now it is up to Nikki Bryant and her friends to uncover the secret that Jodi Gibbons has been protecting—a secret someone believes it is worth killing to keep from being revealed.

Pre-Order the Book:
release date: July 21
Amazon
 

 
 
Meet the Author:

Author Lauren Carr and Sterling

​Selling over half a million books worldwide, Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, Thorny Rose, Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries, and Nikki Bryant Cozy Mysteries—thirty titles across five fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor. 

The owner of Acorn Book Services and iRead Book Tours, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, and virtual book tour coordinator for independent authors.  

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. 

She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV. 

connect with the author: 

 
 
 
 
 

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Pensive Penelope Thinks About Words by Pat Blankenship (Book Review)

“Pensive Penelope woke up one day
Thinking about all the words she might say.
She thought she might mention the words in her head
When Mama and Papa got her out of bed.”

Filled with delightful rhyme and rhythm, this story follows Penny as she finds her voice in a matter of hours, moving quickly from easy basic words to complex concepts and ideas. And isn’t that exactly the way that works? Children go from making basic sounds to talking your ear off in what feels like no time at all!

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery.  I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

When you’re a parent, there’re many milestones you can’t wait for your child to reach: the first laugh, rolling over, the first step, feeding oneself, and the first word, to name a few. Each moment is filled with laughter, clapping, and shouts of glee from parents (sometimes from the child, too). 

When my children were (about) nine months old, they spoke their first word (Ma). Every day, their vocabulary was building and being shared with us, their parents. We were excited to wake up and see what our babies would say next. The toddler stage was connecting words, and then things got more interesting. This is when real conversations start to happen with our children. I loved this time. 

When kids start verbalizing more, they mimic sounds and words they hear. If you ever wonder if your child understands what you’re saying, this is the time when they parrot back your words. 

Pensive Penelope Thinks About Words by Pat Blankenship showcases all the words and thoughts that zip around a child’s brain and the excitement it brings to them and those around them when they finally can speak. 

Pensive Penelope Thinks About Words captured the realism of how tiring talking can be for a child and those listening to their chatter. I vividly recall when my kids learned to say, “Why?” Man, did they use that word often! “No” was also a favorite of theirs. 

Amazon recommends Pensive Penelope Thinks About Words by Pat Blankenship for birth to eight-year-olds. I think babies and toddlers will like the illustrations by Linden Eller. They were super cute! 

Preschoolers should be able to understand the happenings in the story, and school-age kids should be able to read most, if not all, the words with little to no assistance. 

I highly recommend parents share this book with their youngsters. 

 

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

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

Pat Blankenship: I am Leo, Gryffindor, first born, comfortable-casual clothes lover and a huge fan of kids. I am a yogi, a mother, a grandmother and a reader of newspapers and novels. I am an English major, a teacher, a retired lawyer and a writer.

Reedsy Author Link

 

 

 

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My Life Should Be A Reality Show: Act One by Donna Glass (Book Spotlight)

Have you ever thought your family would make an excellent reality show? I sure have!

In My Life Should Be a Reality Show: Act One, I’ve shared some of my favorite tweets, texts, snippets of conversations, short tales, and photographs surrounding the comical happenings of my lovely family.

More hilarity is coming soon in Act Two!

Kindle Purchase Link

Print Purchase Link

 

 

Preview of a REAL voice-text mishap. 

 

 

Sample of section dedicated to my feline friends. 

 

 

Donna Glass is an award-winning author who loves to laugh. And, wow, her laugh is boisterous! In her free time, she’s either reading a book or playing a game with the family.

Donna’s first publication (Be a Superhero in the Kitchen: children’s cookbook) is available through her site and on Amazon.

 

Author Links:

Website: https://superherointhekitchen.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/superchefseries

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/superherointhekitchen/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/donna_glass

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuperHeroInTheKitchen/

Amazon Author Account: amazon.com/author/donnaglass

 

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