Life with all of its wonders, hopes, dreams and desires is a wonderful thing. But sometimes, life isn't that bowl of cherries that everyone would have you believe.
What do you do when that time in your life happens? I promise it will happen to all of us at one time or another. Are you prepared for those days when you just feel like you are at the end of your rope and the knot you tied in it is unravelling faster than you can hang on?
For years, women especially, have known that there are times when you have to sit back, count to 10 or 1,000, and just do nothing! It's like taking a little time to push the reset button or restart button on your computer.
You can let everything go and concentrate on nothing else but the numbers.
Self care is the "big phrase" these days! While I'm not an expert in any such field, I do know that many of us need to recognize that Self Care is important, especially during stressful and anxiety filled days.
There are literally millions of ways to take back a little time for some much needed SELF-CARE!
You will find hundreds of book reviews on all kinds of topics. Pick one and just sit for an hour and read! It could be a novel, a autobiography of someone you admire, a book of riddles or a book of cartoons, like my favorite Calvin and Hobbs!
Another great way to reset is to watch a movie and again Review This Reviews has a whole lot of very worthwhile movies to watch and you can find a list right here. Movie Reviews let you know right away whether it is a subject you would enjoy and you won't spend a lot of time flipping through all the channels.
Maybe just maybe you'd like to learn something about what others do when life is overwhelming for them. I suggest taking a look at From The Heart.
Baking or cooking can sometimes be the way out of a dark little spot in life and we have you covered there too. Sam Monaco, Sylvestermouse Cynthia, Wednesday Elf and a host of others share some of their most asked for favorites. Why not whip up some goodness to help you feel better?
Self-Care is not just one way to help you through the trying times in life, because everyone is different and self-care is just that, it is something that resonates with you personally.
I know that I'm going to check out some of those recipes and make myself something delicious and magical that I can share.
Then I'm going to sit back and read another chapter in one of my favorite books! Who knows, by this evening I just might curl up with a good movie and let life just happen.
Life right now is not the bowl of cherries that I love, but I know that tomorrow or the next day my bowl will be full again. With Faith in Tomorrow, I will make it through this too!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
In January of 2020 I wrote a review on Book Clubs. If you are interested in starting a book club, I would recommend you read that review here Review of Book Clubs. In that review you will find out how the book club I belong to is set up and how we handle the meetings. In this post I will update you on what we have been doing since that last review and a little bit about some of the books we have been reading.
Our Book Club in 2020/2021
As you can all imagine 2020/2021 was a bit challenging for our bookclub. With the pandemic we had to look at how we could do it differently. We didn't meet at all for the first few months, but then in the summer of 2020 we all ventured out and met on my deck, where we could wear masks and social distance with each other. We hadn't picked any one book to read, but rather all discussed what books we had been reading. During the rest of 2020 we only met one more time in someone's family room where we could spread apart. In 2021 we decided to venture out and start choosing monthly books. A few didn't make it at first, but eventually most of our members returned to our monthly meetings.
We read 11 books in a year, skipping the month of December where we all meet for a holiday luncheon instead of our regular meeting. In the next section I will discuss the last 11 books we have read.
Books we have Read in the Last Year
When we started meeting again on a regular basis one of the first books we read was Educated by Tara Westover. It was a very thought-provoking book that gave us lots to discuss. Fellow reviewer Olivia Morris has also read the book and wrote a review which will tell you a lot more about the book. Educated
The next book we read was The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Piccoult. Jodi Piccoult is a favorite author that always spends a lot of time researching the books that she writes. This book deals with Egyptology along with discovering the relationships of the people involved. Most of our members really liked the book, although a few wished it had a bit less technical items on Egyptology.
The Giver of Stars was a book we read by Jo Jo Moyes. This book takes place in depression-era America in the hills of Kentucky. It starts with Alice who has married a rich American to escape the stifling rules of her parents in England. She soon finds that the hills of Kentucky can be just as stifling, and she signs up to be a traveling librarian from Eleanor Roosevelts new plan to bring books to rural America. The book shows us the brave women who worked this program and their relationships. It is based on a true story, and we found it very intriguing.
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson is another book about the traveling book program. You can read more about it in the review that I wrote. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and also one that fellow reviewer Dawn wrote Here .
The next book we read was Gray Mountain by John Grisham. This book deals with mining and many of the legal battles the ensue when it is abused. It is very well written, and you can really become involved with the characters.
The Hypnotists Love Story is a novel by Liane Moriarity. We have read several books by this author and know they will always give us a lively discussion. This one did not disappoint.
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton is a wonderful mystery that takes place in Australia in the early 1900's. It is a work of historical fiction.
The Husband's Secret is another book by Liane Moriarity. Everyone enjoyed the discussion on this book, and we delved a lot into secrets and what we would tell and what we would not.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman was our next book. It was a very interesting book about a young woman who lives a very structured life. She struggles with everyday social skills and tends to say exactly what she is thinking. This all changes when she meets Raymond. You must read this book to find out more!
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Piccoult. This was my favorite book this year. In this book Jodi tackles a very timely subject as the book begins in March of 2020 just at the start of the pandemic. I wrote a review of the book which you can find at Wish You Were Here.
A Divided Loyalty by Charles Todd is a detective story which takes place in England. It features Scotland Yard detective Ian Rutledge and is an interesting mystery. We had a good discussion on the methods used to solve the mystery.
The last book on my list is the one we will be discussing this month. I have read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is Mitch Albom's Finding Chika. Fellow reviewer Pat Austin (aka Wednesday Elf) has written a review on this book. Finding Chika
I Hope you enjoyed hearing about these books and perhaps you will find one or more you'd like to read yourself. Happy Reading!!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
What would be a more appropriate gift for the libraries of readers and writers than word-related bookends?
READ is the perfect word for bookworms ~ lovers of books of any age.
Paul of Oregon creates beautiful bookend sets that he hand cuts with a scroll saw from 1/2” thick, furniture grade Birch plywood. His bookends are then sanded and finished with satin interior non-toxic paint.
This heavy duty two-piece set of bookends has a bottom surface protector which will extend under a few books for enhanced book support. This set, and many more designs in words and in intricate shapes of animals and sports activities are available in Paul's Etsy Shop he calls ScrollMaster Designs.
An appropriate gift for your writer friends would be this set of WRITER bookends. Handmade and designed by Knob Creek Metal Arts of Louisville, KY, the bookends are solid steel and heavy enough to hold up your reading collection. Sold in a set of two pieces, they are finished in a black powder coat. Dimensions are approx. 6 1/2" t x 6 1/2" w x 4" d.
Cooks are bookworms too, with cookbooks being their favorite genre. So a set of bookends with the word COOK is an ideal gift idea for your favorite cook.
This set from Amazon is made with quality steel and is very durable and able to hold many large and heavy books such as you often find in favorite cookbooks. These bookends have a powder-coated surface, so it is smooth and anti-rust, with a non-slip base.
Summary
So, choose a Wordy bookend set as a gift for your bookworm friends and family.
For Books for your Bookends, check out ReviewThisBooks.com for excellent reviews in every genre.
*Wordy Gifts for Your Favorite Bookworm was written and compiled by Wednesday Elf
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
March has arrived! It's too early to plant, so take a nice trip
through the outback of Australia with this memorable book reviewed here!
Many of us are getting very itchy fingers! We all want to start
digging in the dirt! That's not a bad thing, but here in my neck of
the woods, it is far to early to even think about starting all those
seeds! So what's a bonafide gardener to do? My suggestion, is
read a book!
By accident, I came across this book,
"The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart"
by Holly Ringland. I was itching to get my hands dirty, I knew it was
too early, yet I needed something to take that itch away. Talking
about flowers seemed to be a good idea. I must confess that I got this
book from the library (thank you
Libby app.). To say that it piqued my interest is putting it mildly.
Alice Hart's life is a story that has been lived by many people in some form
or other. Using her love of flowers, helps her to grow, learn, heal
and above all live her life! The flowers just help her with their
stories and meanings. They help her to express what she sometimes
doesn't understand or can't put words to.
I have always wanted to travel to Australia, but I'm pretty sure that I
will only be doing that virtually, especially in these times. So, I
was getting rid of two itches at once (gardening and travelling) while
delving into the pages of this book.
Trying to get rid of the itch to garden too early can be difficult, but
this book took me away to places I have only dreamed of. That helped
me a lot. Alice Hart (the main character in the book) grabs you right
away. You want to hold her hand as she traverses a new normal amid
family secrets and stories that make life "Okay" again.
So many things are not spoken, and through the language of flowers, Alice
finds a way to embrace what is going on in her life.
Do Flowers have a language? Oh yes indeed they do! The first
book I read about the
Language of Flowers
was a book reviewed right here by our own writer, Renaissance Woman! I
was so taken with this book that when I found
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, I knew I had to read this book too!
While enjoying the story, I also learnt of trees and flowers that require a
"burn" in order to spread their seeds, birds of the Australian landscapes
and flowers that we will never be able to grow here in the north. In
addition, the need to keep our hands off of flowers that will die when we
pick them.
I'm sure that you will enjoy this book as much as I did and it just might
help you get through that itch, that for us is starting far too early.
Waiting till April will make our efforts of digging in the ground much more
fruitful and successful too.
You can learn a lot by reading and hearing the stories set in far away
places. When they are a novel that is fictional, but interspersed with
truths of gardening and the habits of flora and fauna of distant places, you
know you will be changed.
Here's hoping that spring will come along in due time and our itches to get
our hands in the ground will be fruitful and result in beautiful gardens for
the year to come.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Through these last few months many friends have taken up reading to get them through lock-downs and the inability to be with others!
Reading books can take you away from where you are, just let the words sink into your mind. You could be travelling to India, Switzerland, Russia, the Historical Midwest or a thousand other places.
It is all possible within the covers of a good book! But where, oh where do you find all those GOOD BOOKS? Let me help you with that!
Review This Reviews.com has always had a wonderful group of writers that are willing and able to share their reading preferences with you. Everyone loves a good novel, autobiography, the latest How To, and so much more.
Sometimes we are drawn to a book because it has spent some time on the Best Sellers Lists of several Newspapers, The New York Times for example. Other times we are drawn to a book because other literary giants are endorsing this new Title or Author. Or if we are Amazon people, they also rate their books too!
There are several ways to find out what's trending in reading materials and also several places to find totally new authors and titles.
If you are a member of GOODREADS, you can sign up for their newsletters and see what others are reading. If you don't know about GOODREADS, then you can sign up here! You can also recommend books to friends who are also members of this reading community. I love Goodreads, because it helps me keep on track to reading a certain number of books a year. It's also a great place to leave a review and even follow an author.
Why would you want to follow an author? Well I can think of a few reasons. If you really like a book they have written and you are following them, you might be one of the first to know when a new title is coming out. You can sometimes join an authors night and hear what this person has to say about their own books, giving you insights that may not have come across at first reading. But most importantly you are part of the group of people who encourage an author to continue honing their skills in telling a story.
There are two more places that I love to find my next book to read. These are two places where you can get Advanced Readers Copies (ARC). These books have not yet been published, but are made available to avid readers. Their only conditions are that you leave a review for the author! Netgalley is one and Voracious Readers is the other!
Each of these sites are geared to new authors and new titles! You can sign up with them and they will want an indication of your preferences. Simple to do! Then just watch your email "inbox". It is that simple and that easy to do.
You will need an electronic book, Kindle or iPad to download the books. These are electronic books you will be receiving. Once you download them, you are free to start reading and enjoying a new author!
Facebook also has a page I love to find new books on. My Book Tribe has about 12,000 plus members. Quite often new authors and established ones will have book give aways that you might be interested in. If not, it's still a great place to find new titles and new authors.
Of course right here on Review This Reviews you can find lots of great books that have "our" stamp of approval. Just clicking on the Tab at the top for Books and a whole list will drop down for you! Read a review and then get your book, it's that simple.
Just remember, that reading can take you to places, when you have no where to go!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Belonging to a book club can be a fun and rewarding experience.
Book Club Luncheon Outing January 2020
I have belonged to a book club for the past 17 years. I always look forward to the next meeting and discussing the books we have read.
Book Club Information Online
I did some research online in preparation for writing this post and found there is really no "one size fits all" approach to book clubs. There are book clubs hosted by groups of friends, by libraries, by publishers, by churches, by special interest groups and a multitude of others. You can find online book clubs, clubs that meet at peoples houses, clubs that meet at public places and library sponsered clubs meeting at the library. Some book clubs have books selected by the sponsoring organization or person and others have members select the books. There are book clubs that only read one genre of books such as a mystery book club or a history book club and others that read a variety of different genres. In looking for some history on the start of book clubs, I came to the conclusion that the discussion of books in groups dates back as far as we had the written word. In the USA I found references back to 1634 on a ship headed to the Massachusetss Bay Colony and another literary society started in 1727 by Benjamin Franklin named Junto.
My Experience in a Book Club
The book club I belong to has about 12-14 members at any given time. This seems like a good amount of people for a good discussion. Each month there are some people missing but we still have enough for a lively discussion. Our club actually started 20 years ago and still has 5 of the original members. As members have to leave due to illness, moving or other obiligations new members are added to our group. I joined when we moved to the area and a friend invited me to join the group. We meet once a month at a different members house and that member leads a discussion on the book and provides refreshments for the group. We read a variety of different genre's, each book is chosen by the hostess for the month. The hostess will have given us the name of the book and the date she will host the meeting at the previous meeting. So we have a month to obtain and read the book. Some members get the book from the library, some order an ebook online and others purchase a paper book. We try to stay on topic, but sometimes that is difficult as we have been together for a long time. Sometimes we just need to set some time aside to socialize before we start the book discussion. For refreshments we might serve wine and/or soft drinks and a variety of snacks. We usually end the evening with a dessert. Many of our hostesses will look for a food theme from the book and serve a snack or dessert that fits that theme. Over the years we have done some fun things with the group.
Several times we have invited an author to our meeting to lead the discussion of their book. It is fun when we find a local author to do this.
We have gone on field trips before. One in particular that I remember was to a historical house in the area where one of our members is a docent.
Another time we decided we would try our hand at writing a book. We each wrote a chapter and then passed it on to a member at the next meeting to write the next chapter. We did not have a plan ahead of time about where the book would head so it was a surprise to all of us when we got the final story. It wasn't a particularly compelling book but it did give us an experience of what an author goes through in writing.
Guidelines for a Book Club based on my Experience
Here are some of my thoughts on book clubs.
Set your schedules a year in advance ( or at least 6 months). Before we did this we spent a lot of time each meeting discussing who would have the next meeting. Now we send around a sign up sheet each January and everyone picks a month. They don't have to choose the book or the exact date till the month before.
The hostess should plan a few questions to help get the discussion rolling. A lot of times these questions can be found on the author's or publishers websites.
Having prepared questions are a good way to get the discussion back on track when someone tries to sideline it.
Keep an open mind to reading types of books you wouldn't normally choose. I have read so many books in book club that I would never have chosen, but when I read them they are great. It has really broadened my horizons in my reading.
Books we Have Read
In the 17 years that I have belonged to book club we have read nearly 200 different book. I can't begin to list them all in this post but here are a few of the ones that we have read in the past couple of years that I thought you might enjoy.
The first one is the one we are reading for this month. It is a historical fiction book, which is one of my favorite genres. This was a very interesting book.
The next book is one we read last year. It was an interesting study involving cooking and the different personalities that took a cooking class. It was different from others we have read but I found it very interesting.
Here is a list of several other books we have read in the past several months.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Big Little Lies by Lianne Moriarity
Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan
The Book Club by Mary Alice Monroe
Leaving Time by Jodi Piccoult
No Way Back by Andrew Gross
Long Road to Mercy by David Balducci
A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
I've Got My Eyes on You by Mary Higgins Clark
The Address by Fiona Davis
The Trapped Girl by Robert Dugoni
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
All of these are books that I enjoyed and would recommend.
Happy Reading!!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
I received my new Kindle Paperwhite e-reader nearly two weeks ago and I'm loving it! I was very hesitant to upgrade as I don't like change and often have trouble figuring out new electronic devices. I started researching current e-reader options as my original Kindle (a Kindle Keyboard, remember those?) was starting to have some serious malfunctions after all these years. I felt forced to shop for a new e-reader before my old one just stopped working. I have to say that so far I'm very excited about my purchase. My new Kindle is awesome! I like it so much that I wanted to share my thoughts with you.
New 6" Kindle Paperwhite E-Reader
My new Kindle has a 6" touchscreen. It is slightly smaller than my first Kindle, and easier to pack in a small bag or purse.
This Kindle has built-in lights - no need to buy a separate, external light.
My new Kindle is advertised as having a resolution of 300 ppi. Now, that doesn't mean a single thing to me except that it is easy to see that compared to my original e-reader, the images are GREAT. I had briefly considered purchasing a Kindle Fire so that I could also read magazines and have color photos. But I'm really glad that I stuck with the Paperwhite for two main reasons:
My eyes. I am already familiar with how easy Paperwhite technology is on my eyes in general, in the dark while camping, and there is no screen glare when outside during the day. Computer screens strain my eyes. The Paperwhite does not.
Awesome battery. I require the long-lasting battery life of the Kindle Paperwhite. I want to read everywhere I go. That includes camping at The Shack, hiking, and waiting for appointments. There's nothing worse then reaching for an electronic device with a dead battery.
The Kindle I chose:
There are only two things that I'm concerned about so far. Both have to do with the touch screen:
No Buttons. I miss the buttons on my Kindle Keyboard that turned the pages. However, I'm becoming accustomed to turning the pages by tapping the side of the screen. But so far, I still wish for those buttons to turn the pages.
Oops! What Language is That?! When I unboxed my Kindle I plugged it in to charge and I put it in the cover I bought. During that process, I touched the touchscreen and voila, all of my display turned to a different language! I had the hardest time trying to find anything in the online owner's manual that helped me to visually find the language settings so that I could change it back to English. Finally, with a video review and a lot of guesswork, I was able to make the language change I needed. I think the online owners manual should have more visual aids to go along with the written instructions.
The awesome cover I chose:
My Love Affair with E-Readers
I was aghast when e-readers were first introduced. Who in their right might would want to replace their beloved books with an electronic device?! Oh the horror. You wouldn't be able to read your books outside, or while camping, or while at the beach. What a terrible invention.
Then my son surprised me with a Kindle (3rd generation I think). I bought a lighted, leather cover to protect it and to help me read it while camping. And I fell in love. I replaced my hoard of books with a single small item. And I found that even at the beach, I just place my Kindle in a gallon sized baggie and it is protected from the sand. Much better than soggy, gritty books after a day at the beach!
The only thing I didn't like about that first Kindle was the images didn't translate very well. Books with maps or drawings didn't always show up well. Or were too small to be read. I think Kindle e-readers are awesome. They allow me to read anywhere and anytime. I always have my entire library with me. And I'm sure there are plenty of functions that I am not even aware of that others would enjoy. If you've considered buying a new Kindle Paperwhite, I encourage you to do it. I think you'll be glad you did. Postscript: Each and every time I've considered updating my Kindle, I've thought of Susan Deppner. She was a Review This contributor and a friend to many. I thought of her as the best Kindle advisor there was. I did refer back to the Kindle Reviews she had written for guidance. Susan, you may be gone from this earth, but you are not forgotten. I know you'd be as excited about my purchase as I am.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
hob·by - an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for
pleasure.
January is known as National Hobby Month. The contributing writers here on Review This! each have
their favorite ways to enjoy a relaxing pursuit and have written many reviews
of various how-to books, crafting supplies and DIY tutorials, gardening tips,
recipes & kitchen aids for the cook, photography lessons, reading or
listening to music, sports, and a host of other hobbies. These are but a few of the hobbies enjoyed by the Review This crew.
The list of hobbies is almost endless. If you are interested in looking
for what we writers here have reviewed, type in the name of your 'hobby'
either in the box in the top left-hand corner of any Review This page,
or in the search box down the right-hand side. By looking at the author's
name, you won't have any problem figuring out which HOBBY is each writers'
favorite! For instance, mine (Wednesday Elf) is crochet and my hobby is
shared by several other contributors here, so we learn and share with each
other. A more comprehensive list is shown below.
National Hobby Month
Begun by the Hobby Guild of America in 1955, National Hobby Month was
celebrated in April until 1976, then in October until 1986. Since then,
it has been celebrated during the month of January. January was most likely chosen for National Hobby Month as it is the
beginning of a new year and a good time to start a new hobby. Many
people have never had hobbies during their working years or while raising a
family and begin one in their retirement or after the children are
grown. Others try many hobbies throughout their life before finding one
or two that gives them the most enjoyment.
Hobby Examples on Review This!
Hobbies can be passive (such as crafting, reading, writing, listening to
music or watching a movie) or an activity such as gardening, cooking or
participating in sports. Many people have more than one hobby and often
combine them, such as listening to music while crafting. In addition to writing reviews here on Review This!, most of the
contributing writers here write for their own blogs and websites.
Writers consider writing to be more work than hobby, so time away from writing
is important. That's where the activities done in our leisure time become such
a pleasure. It is also interesting to note that the passion we feel for our
hobbies is shown in many of the subjects we write about.
Dawn Rae
does crochet and participates in a group of fellow jeep owners. She
also enjoys gardening and lately 'learning about homesteading'.
Cynthia Sylvestermouse
is a freelance writer and photographer who loves all different kinds of
crafts, including crafting in the kitchen, creating fancy cakes and
cupcakes.
Barbara (BarbRad) is an expert on books and loves to read. She is also a nature
photographer who most enjoys photographing her central California
area.
Mary Beth Granger (MBGphoto) is a fabulous photographer who continually takes photography classes to
learn more. Photography has become her passion in her retirement,
along with traveling. Lighthouses and beaches are her favorite
subjects.
Wednesday Elf
loves crochet and needlework, watching baseball and reading.
Beverly Owens
is busy researching her Native American Indian heritage and loves to write
about spirit animals and the wisdom of her ancestors. She also enjoys
crocheting.
Olivia Morris
loves gardening and following the fashion world.
Brenda Little (Treasures By Brenda) collects coffee mugs and researches the history of vintage cups and
other vintage items which she shares in her eBay store. She also
loves reading, great movies, cooking, and pop culture.
Diana Wenzel (Renaissance Woman2010) enjoys an off-the-grid lifestyle where she pursues her interests in
animal rescue, wonderful nature photography, and DIY projects. She also
loves to read.
Louanne Cox (Lou16) loves reading, 80s music, zombies and dolls, among a host of other
interests.
Heather Burns (Heather426) is an artist, illustrator and graphic designer. Her hobby is her
artistic accomplishments, including the colored pencils she has created
for coloring pages and coloring books.
Coletta Teske
is a published book author and loves to sew.
Sam Monaco
enjoys cooking and he has a passion for preserving old family recipes.
These can be found on his blog Sam's Place. He also loves history.
Jasmine Ann Marie Annie (Raintree Annie) loves gardening and nature. Her favorite hobby is photography and
photographing the wildlife, animals and birds in nature.
These are just the highlights of hobbies and interests I have observed from
the articles they publish and the interaction we have as a team here on the
staff of Review This!. I am sure there are other interests each
of them have.
Quick View Home Page
By clicking on the
Quick View Home Page
button at the top of any Review This! page, you will have weekly
examples of many of the articles your hobbyists here enjoy (plus many
non-hobby reviews). Stop by the comments section and tell us your favorite hobby or activity. The
Review This! staff would love to hear about what gives you
pleasure in your leisure time.
(c) Written by Wednesday Elf on 1/20/2018
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Patricia Polacco's books aren't just stories. They are connections to the hearts of her readers. You will see why in a moment. Polacco is not just a talented artist with a style that's easy to recognize, but she's a storyteller with heart.
Patricia Polacco is only a year younger than I, but she led a much less sheltered life. Her parents had divorced when she was only three, and she and her mother had been living with her grandmother in many different towns until her grandmother died. In one of those towns, Union City, Michigan, they had lived on a farm. Life on the farm with her Babushka (grandmother) provided Polacco with many of her story ideas when she later began to write.
Most of Polacco's stories relate to problems and fears that children have. In some a child has lost a beloved adult -- a grandparent or neighbor. I have read many other children's books, both fiction and nonfiction, that deal with these issues, but none have made the connection with my heart that Polacco's did. I believe that in almost every one of her books I've read, and I've read lots of them, her own heart and feelings were involved. In others, her love of books and reading connected with me.
Polacco understands the importance of family relationships in both the nuclear and extended family. She understands the value of intergenerational relationships. In many of her books a child and a lonely elderly person make a connection that ends their isolation. Not all children have grandparents and not all widows and widowers have grandchildren. Polacco shows that these intergenerational relationships can be just as vital even when child and elderly person come from different races or cultures.
Gifts of the Heart by Patricia Polacco
In this precious Christmas story, young Patricia and her brother have been living with their mother and her parents on a farm in Michigan. When Patricia's grandmother dies, her grandfather wants to sell the farm and move because the house is so full of memories. Meanwhile, Grandfather has hired a woman who says she is Kay Lamity to look after the children, as their Babushka used to do, while their mother went to work. Patricia's brother, especially, rebels at the thought that anyone can replace their Babushka.
A Gift for a Child with Dyslexia: Thank You, Mr. Falker
My brother had the misfortune to have dyslexia before anyone knew what it was. Born into a family with a mother and sister who loved reading and read to him all the time, everyone assumed he'd also become a reader. Except he didn't. As much help as he had from a mother who was a teacher and a sister who wanted to help, he just became more frustrated when books didn't make sense to him. Like Patricia, he didn't get help until he was in middle school. Like Patricia, he thought he must be dumb. He never told me what he might have suffered from teasing by his classmates. This is a book every teacher and parent should read -- especially if they have a child with a reading problem. Listen to Jane Kaczmarek read it on YouTube and see if you can keep your eyes dry. I couldn't
If you know a child who needs this book, please get Thank You, Mr. Falker for him or her. I recommend a physical book for all the picture books to enhance the reading experience.
My Favorite Polacco Book: Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair
This my favorite because I can't imagine a life without reading. I've loved reading since I was three years old, and I loved being read to even before that. I've never been a great fan of TV, either. So I can imagine how it would feel to be Eli's Aunt Chip, the Triple Creek librarian, when people stopped reading to watch TV. Television was the center of their lives and they always had it on. Pretty soon even school teachers were replaced by television.
Although Aunt Chip still faithfully showed up to work every day, no one came. Finally the library was demolished and replaced by a giant TV tower, and Aunt Chip took to her bed. She told told the mayor and the townspeople there would be consequences to replacing books with television.
When Eli arrived on the scene, he loved his Aunt Chip. He did think it strange she'd not left her bed since he'd known her, but she told wonderful stories. Finally he asked her one day where she got her stories. She replied, "Some come out of thin air. Some come out of my dreams. Some come right out of books!"
Eli asked how you would get a story from a book. All he'd seen books used for were patching holes in the street, sitting on, building things, and even shoring up the dam. Never for reading. This is when Aunt Chip discovered that not only Eli, but no one else in the town could still read. So she showed Eli the inside of a book and explained about writing.
'Now look at this. Those are words. They tell about ideas, dreams, and feelings. They take you to places far from here....Books are a treasure. All you need is the key.'
I don't want to give the story away, but Aunt Chip leaves her bed and the town soon learns the consequences of their rashness in closing the library and replacing books with television. I think the ending will make you happy, and you will love what happens to Eli. This book is not a tear-jerker like the others I reviewed. Give it to anyone who thinks reading isn't important.
Here are more of my favorites. There's a story for almost any child in this group of books. You can find more detailed reviews of the books below and many others, as well as more about Patricia Polacco's life and inspiration in "Patricia Polacco and Her Books" at Books to Remember. You will also find study guides and readers' theater scripts for the most popular of her books.
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I thoroughly enjoy traveling and visiting lighthouses and when it comes to reading, historical fiction is my favorite genre. So, when my daughter found this book about a lighthouse that takes place in the eighteen century it was the perfect gift for me.
Lighthouse by Eugenia Price
This book is the first of the Saint Simons Trilogy and after reading it I am anxious to start on the next in the series.
The Setting
This book is set in the early days of the United States. It follows the life of a young man from his home in Massachusetts, to his travels to what is now Maine, Florida and finally Georgia. It starts out talking about Shays rebellion and follows history through the early 1800's. Although it is a fictional story, the author did a lot of historical research and the main character along with several of the other people in the story were real people.
The Story
James Gould is a young man with a dream that he carries throughout his life. He is raised in Massachusetts, but longs for the warmer climate in the lands of the south. His other dream is to someday build a lighthouse. He has plans that he has drawn for a lighthouse that he carries with him through the years, hoping that one day he can make his dream come true. In the book you follow James life as he feels responsible to care for his mother and siblings and you root for him as he searches for a way to follow his dream first to the north to Bangor on the Penobscot River where he makes a living to support his family, then to the south and lawless Spanish East Florida. Along the way he meets a strong woman with whom he can share his dream. The characters are very compelling and I found myself thinking about the book and looking forward to picking it back up whenever I needed to stop reading.
My Favorite Parts
I love the way the author takes real people in history and weaves them into the story. It is also interesting to read about places I have visited such as Savannah and St. Simons Island and imagine what they were like in the late 1700's and early 1800's. Of course, I am very partial to lighthouses and the building of the lighthouse and then the care of the structure was the highlight for me. It is hard to imagine the hardships early Americans struggled with during the beginning of the country. This book is a real page turner and has my recommendation for anyone who enjoys historical fiction!
My Visit to St. Simons
I visited St. Simons lighthouse several years ago, but now that I've read the book I'd love to visit again. I think it will be much more meaningful after I've learned about the builder and his dream of the lighthouse.
Below is a Zazzle card I made from my photo of St. Simons lighthouse.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
