Sunday 30 April 2017

The Grumpface

The Grumpface
Author: B.C.R. Fegan
Release date: 1 May 2017



Hi Everyone,

I had the pleasure of being contacted by B.C.R Fegan he author of The Grumpface and being allowed a copy of this brilliant picture book.  First opinion was from the cover, of which I smiled and took off around the house to show my kids.  First impressions are always a good start.

I opened the book to find the most amazing, captivating, brightly coloured illustrations.  I give top credits to the illustrator D. Frongia.  The facial impressions of the characters are priceless, they told the story even without reading it.  This is always good when you have a little one who wants to sit looking at a book and making up their own story because they can't read the words.

Now, as for the wording.  The Grumpface has obviously had hours of thought gone into the writing.  The rhyme.  Every two lines rhyme.  I give here an extract to show you the brilliance to show you:

He turned and led Dan to a very high peak.
"Across this volcano is the freedom you seek.

Your next task is simple, but you'd better be bold.
You cross by this bridge, but you do it blindfold."

I want to give you more! But all I can give you is my advice, get a copy.  Especially if you have little ones.  The illustrations will grab them, the wording will roll off your tongue and they will want you to keep reading, the story line had a good moral.  What more do you want from a children's book??

Look, I have to give you two more lines because I just read them again and had to giggle at the thought and word play:

He'd invented some shoes: though they weren't to appealing.
Their grip was so strong he could walk on the ceiling.

If I give you anymore I will risk getting in trouble!  Can you see I have really enjoyed this book?

Anyway here is the description and a little about the author...


Description:

Dan is a young inventor in love. He ventures into a forest looking for a rose but instead finds the mysterious Grumpface who threatens to hold him captive unless he passes some difficult challenges. What follows is a humorous adventure that neither Dan nor the Grumpface could have anticipated.

The Grumpface is a tale in the spirit of any grand adventure. It is about a clumsy young inventor’s quest for love, and the challenges he must face to find it. But it is also a tale of bravery, absurdity and happiness, and the power of these qualities over negativity and sheer grumpiness.

Every parent will be acquainted with their own little ‘grumpface’ now and then. This story stands as a small piece of hope – that no matter how ingrained the grump, there will always remain in every one of us a smile or a laugh just waiting to come out.

About the Author:

BCR Fegan is an Australian author who has written a number of fairy tales and fantasies for children and young adults.

Raised on a small hobby farm only minutes from some of Australia’s greatest beaches, Fegan grew up inspired by the power of natures ambience. From the intensity of the frequent summer storms, to the overwhelming serenity of a lonely beach in the early hours of the morning. His ravenous appetite for both reading and writing soon saw him drawing on the transformational influence of the world around him to craft short stories, poems and picture books


Available 1 May 2017 from:




Additonal Link:




Happy reading

Saturday 29 April 2017


Hi Everyone,

This quote comes from Freya North's Chances. Her other titles include:
  • Rumors
  • Secrets
  • Pillow talk
  • Home Truths
  • Fen
  • Pip
  • Sally
  • Chloe
  • Polly
  • Cat
  • The turning point
  • Love rules
  • The way back home

Happy reading




Friday 28 April 2017

A walk to remember

A Walk To Remember
Author: Nicolas Sparks
ISBN: 978-0-446-60895-4


Hi Everyone,

Want a book that you will probably need some tissues with.  What about one that you could probably read in a day.  I have just the book for you... A Walk To Remember. 

Then when you are finished the book you can watch the movie 😃

I read this lovely little novel over the weekend and really enjoyed it.  Such an easy read after my previous two reads that had 600+ pages each.  I was really ready to read a simple page turner and my Aunty presented me with just the book.

A Walk to Remember is a love story about two teens living different lives.  You couldn't get much different in characters but their paths connected and their story began.   It was the sweetest of stories.  I became so entwined in their journey that when the tale turned I couldn't help but become emotionally attached. 

You just have to read this one.  If I go into detail I will have too many spoilers.  The novel isn't large enough to become opinionated without spoilers.  So, what are you waiting, for go see if it is at the library or on the book store shelf. 

Description:

There was a time when the world was sweeter...when the women in Beaufort, North Carolina, wore dresses, and the men donned hats... Every April, when the wind smells of both the sea and lilacs, Landon Carter remembers 1958, his last year at Beaufort High. Landon had dated a girl or two, and even once sworn that he'd been in love. Certainly the last person he thought he'd fall for was Jamie, the shy, almost ethereal daughter of the town's Baptist minister...Jamie, who was destined to show him the depths of the human heart -- and the joy and pain of living.
From the internationally bestselling author Nicholas Sparks comes his most moving story yet...


This was available from: Fishpond, Book depository Whitcoulls and Paperplus


Happy reading




Thursday 27 April 2017

Booktuber of the month



Hi Everyone,

It is almost the end of April already!  It has gone so fast.  I have had school holidays, conferences and family visiting from Australia and the North Island of New Zealand.  It was brilliant having them all here, the sun even came out.  That may seem like a strange concept, but where I live we tend to get a lot of jokes tossed our way about the amount of cold weather we get.  It isn't that bad, but I have to admit that I am sitting here blogging, with a woolly shawl wrapped around my shoulders, as the wind and rain plummet my windows.

So what better to do than to blog and read some more for you.

This month's booktuber goes out to Bookables.  I really like this lady.  She seems real.  Sometimes when I look in on booktubers, they are all tubing the same things and sound alike.  Not this one.  She is chirpy, excitable and real.  In this clip she gets coffee which she loves the smell of but she's not a coffee drinker. When it comes to the biscuits though....  I had smile. 

I actually like the book box she was unboxing.  I have to look into book boxes in my country, I don't hear a heap about them.  I would love to receive one, they look exciting. 

Bookables uploads clips around 3 times a week and she has a mature, likable presentation to reviews, unboxings and literary presentations.  Take a look in on her next time you are on Youtube, just follow the highlighted links or the link below.


Happy reading


Tuesday 25 April 2017

Worthy of quoting


Hi Everyone,

I skimmed Dale Carnegie's book How To Win Friends and Influence People, many years ago.  I came across it again while I was surfing my Kindle store and decided I would look at what I thought of it today, a different place in time from where I was when I last skimmed it.   I will review it for you soon.

Dale Carnegie's other titles include:
  • How to stop worrying and start living
  • How to enjoy your life and job
  • The quick and easy way to effective speaking
  • How to win friends and influence people for teen girls
  • little known facts about well known people
  • The leader in you
  • How to develop self confidence and influence people by public speaking
And of course
  • How to win friends and influence people
And this is just the start of his great books.

Happy reading


Sunday 23 April 2017

Easy week night meals

Easy Week Night Meals
Nadia Lim
ISBN: 978-1-87750-549-2



Hi Everyone

I thought it was about time I got a recipe book and reviewed it for you.  I like Nadia Lim for her simplicity and desire to see healthy food readily available for all families.  Nadia was the winner of a television programme 'Master chief ' and ever since she has graced many homes with her food bags.  The 'My Food Bag' concept is simple... you order the food bag online and a recipe with all the ingredients in a bag is delivered to your door.

Or, you can buy one of her many recipe books as I have.

Easy Week Night Meals took my eye due to the simple ideas spruced up to transform the basic meal into a Devinne week night meal.  For example: Fish 'n' chips with smashed minted peas... This is the average wedge chip, cooked in the oven with little oil to keep them healthy; peas cooked in a stock minted with a couple of other seasonings; really nicely coated crumbed fish; and tartare sauce.  I have always wanted a tartare sauce recipe!

Another one that I really like is the Chicken Katsu skewers with cabbage and sugar snap soba noodles.  Now come on, how many kids love cabbage?  Add it to the noodles and sugar snap peas along with the seasonings and you have a well disguised cabbage dish when accompanied with the chicken skewers.

I hate leek!  With a passion! But I am going to try the leak and potato rosti, just because it looks nice.  Yes I eat with my eyes 😃

One thing I find a little difficult about this book is the way it is set out in seasons.  I think this will grow on me as I transition through the seasons.  It also has no deserts.  What!!! No desert!  Is this because they aren't healthy, well some can be, or because it's easy week night meals.  I still like looking at deserts in a recipe book. 

Overall, I am enjoying this book.  The recipes are easy.  I have most of the ingredients in my cupboards.  I mainly like that they are simple concepts, with the addition of seasoning, that I wouldn't have ever thought of.

I hope this inspires you to pick a new recipe book for you and your family.


Description:

Here is the solution to every cook's weeknight dilemma - what to cook tonight? Delicious, simple-to-follow, nutritious recipes that your family and friends will love from the My Food Bag team and Nadia Lim. These recipes have been rated as favourites by My Food Bag customers, so you can relax in the knowledge that each recipe is tasty, easy to make and foolproof. They're organised by season, and Nadia's background as a dietitian and her strong healthy food philosophy ensures that they are nutritionally balanced and good for you. This is the one cookbook you need for cooking successfully during the week, and getting back to loving your weeknight meals.


Happy Reading






This was available from: Amazon, Book depository and Fishpond


Friday 21 April 2017

Walt Disney...


Once upon a time...

Walt had a dream, no one else understood.  But he never gave up! 

Now look at what he accomplished. 



I can't give you the books about or by Walt Disney there are far too many you may need to use Google 😃

Happy Reading

Thursday 20 April 2017

The seven sisters

The Seven Sisters
Author: Lucinda Riley
ISBN: 978-1-4472-1864-7



Hi Everyone,

This book is fantastic and will not be making it onto my bookcase for quite a while as I have promised it to so many friends to read.  It just cannot go back onto my shelf just yet.

I finished it last night and it is one of those books that you're so disappointed to be on the final page.  Even the final page left me almost screaming with "Oh my goodness!"  I cannot wait to receive the second book in this series The Storm Sister.  Even the name of it leaves me enticed, but I also have to know if they find who out the person on the phone is, on the last page of this book.  If I think it is who it is, then.... wow! 

Anyway, I got so into this book and the characters that when I was reading Izabela's story I forgot all about Maia.  Sorry Maia.  I had a little giggle when I got back to Maia's section when I realised that the book was meant to be about her too.  That's when you know you're reading a good novel.  Izabela was so young, magical,vibrant, naive, beautiful, innocent... then she gets married for all the upper class reasons of her time.  That is when things take a turn... I can't spoil it here.

Then there is the historical implantation.  As I read The Seven Sisters I found myself thinking of the making of such structures as the Cristo.  I was transported to a sculptors living quarters, Paris, Brazil, Rio, and an island with a castle.  Lucinda Riley portrayed social classes of the times with elegance, grace and truth as snobbery sneaked through each characters cracks.

I enjoyed this book so much I went to Google to find out more about Lucinda Riley.  I found her official website that is well worth looking at lucindariley.com/ and this clip on Youtube, which is put up by Lucinda, upon which she talks about The Seven Sisters series and her writings. 



I could talk, over a coffee, for hours on this book.  I am hooked and can't wait for the next six books.... Yes there are seven books in this series, but there is still so much that I want to know, that I will be reading all of them. 

Description:


Maia D'Apliese and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, 'Atlantis' - a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva - having been told that their beloved father, the elusive billionaire they call Pa Salt, has died. Maia and her sisters were all adopted by him as babies and, discovering he has already been buried at sea, each of them is handed a tantalising clue to their true heritage - a clue which takes Maia across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Once there, she begins to put together the pieces of where her story began ...Eighty years earlier, in the Belle Epoque of Rio, 1927, Izabela Bonifacio's father has aspirations for his daughter to marry into aristocracy. Meanwhile, architect Heitor da Silva Costa is working on a statue, to be called Christ the Redeemer, and will soon travel to Paris to find the right sculptor to complete his vision. Izabela - passionate and longing to see the world - convinces her father to allow her to accompany him and his family to Europe before she is married. There, at Paul Landowski's studio and in the heady, vibrant cafes of Montparnasse, she meets ambitious young sculptor Laurent Brouilly, and knows at once that her life will never be the same again.

Happy reading






This was available from: Paper plus, Amazon, Fishpond and Book depository

Tuesday 18 April 2017


Lucinda Riley is the author of:
  • The Seven Sisters
  • The Storm Sister
  • The Shadow Sister
  • The Italian Girl
  • The Angel Tree
  • The Olive Tree
  • The Midnight Rose
  • Mothouse Flower
  • The Girl on the Cliff
  • The Light Behind the Window

Happy Reading


Sunday 16 April 2017

What am I reading?


Hi Everyone

What am I reading at the moment?  The Seven Sisters - Lucinda Riley.  I am absolutely taken by this book and cannot let too much away... Just yet.  You will have to keep looking in and I will have a review up for you as soon as I finish it.   While you wait I will give you the book description and will get back to my book 😃


Description:

Their future is written in the stars ...Maia D'Apliese and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, 'Atlantis' - a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva - having been told that their beloved father, the elusive billionaire they call Pa Salt, has died. Maia and her sisters were all adopted by him as babies and, discovering he has already been buried at sea, each of them is handed a tantalising clue to their true heritage - a clue which takes Maia across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Once there, she begins to put together the pieces of where her story began ...Eighty years earlier, in the Belle Epoque of Rio, 1927, Izabela Bonifacio's father has aspirations for his daughter to marry into aristocracy. Meanwhile, architect Heitor da Silva Costa is working on a statue, to be called Christ the Redeemer, and will soon travel to Paris to find the right sculptor to complete his vision. Izabela - passionate and longing to see the world - convinces her father to allow her to accompany him and his family to Europe before she is married. There, at Paul Landowski's studio and in the heady, vibrant cafes of Montparnasse, she meets ambitious young sculptor Laurent Brouilly, and knows at once that her life will never be the same again. The Seven Sisters is a sweeping epic tale of love and loss - the first in a unique, spellbinding series of seven books, based on the legends of the Seven Sisters star constellation - Lucinda Riley showcases her storytelling talent like never before.


I got my copy from Book depository

Happy reading


Tuesday 11 April 2017

Consider the hammer


Just a little something to make you smile... the hammer does make a good metaphor.

Happy reading

Winnie the Horse Gentler

Winnie The Horse Gentler Series
Author: Bandi Baley Mackall
ISBN: Assorted



Hi Everyone

Following a long weekend of family staying, I got little reading done.  I still wanted to be able to bring something to you, so I went looking on my daughter's bookcase.  I found all her Winnie the Horse Gentler books. 

I didn't cheat... I have read all these, just a long time ago.  When I first purchased these for her she wasn't keen on the idea of reading much other than Sheltie books, but her reading level far exceeded the little Sheltie books that she engulfed far to quickly.  So, I read the first book to her.  She was hooked!  I was then dragged back to town week after week to purchase the next book in the series.  It didn't take long before she had all her friends reading the series too.

These are the titles in the series and the descriptions so you can gain an understanding of the content that grabbed her attention:

1. Wild Thing
Twelve-year-old Winnie Willis loves horses- just like her mother did.  But since her mom died two years ago, Winnie, her sister, Lizzy, and her father have moved five times. Winnie never cared much- until now.  She has a chance to buy the horse of her dreams at an upcoming auction- but how will she ever earn enough money?  More importantly, how can she possibly convince her dad not to move them to another town... again?

2. Eager Star
Winnie Willis wants to be a famous horse gentler.  She already has one client, and a second has just signed on.  But the new client has given her only a week to train a horse for an important race... and the rider will be Grant Baines- the most popular boy in school.  To him, Winnie is invisible.  This is her chance to be part of the "in" crowd at school... if she succeeds.  How can she ever train the horse and Grant to work together in one week?

3. Bold Beauty
Winnie Willis has confidence to spare- on horseback, that is.  If only she could have the same self-assurance at school.  When Winnie gets a dreaded school assignment, her whole world is affected.  Worse, an accident on horseback shatters the one area of her life where everything was going fine.  Now she'll have to find the courage outside herself to face her classmates and the horse she let down.

4. Midnight Mystery
It's up to Winnie to solve a mystery and save a circus horse. But Winnie faces her own mystery as she struggles to keep her family from changing and to hold on to things as they are. She'll learn to appreciate God, who never changes no matter what else may threaten.

5. Unhappy Appy
Winnie Willis has always considered horses her best friends.  But lately the world seems to be pairing off, and she's the only one left out.  After all, her sister, Lizzy, now has a "best friend"; and Madeline, her dad's inventor "friend" keeps showing up.  But, Hawk, Winnie's only hope for a friend, has been acting as strange as her horse.  What's wrong with Hawk and Towaco?  If Winnie wants a chance for a best friend, she has to untangle the mystery.

6. Gift Horse
Just when Winnie Willis feels like school could be almost tolerable, Summer Spidell has to be... well, Summer.  Worse, Winnie's friend Hawk is away for Christmas vacation, Winnie is lonely.  Then a mysterious horse shows up in the pasture behind her house.  Suddenly Winnie is caught in a life-and-death struggle with the old mare.
Who is the horse's owner?  Will Winnie be able to keep- and save- this "gift horse"?

7. Friendly Foal
Nobody has ever needed Winnie before.  But she already has a big problem of her own.  The newborn foal has lost her mother and the world doesn't look friendly.  Winnie knows how the filly feels.  It's been two years since Winnie lost her mom, and she still has trouble trusting humans.  So why should the foal trust her?  But time is running out.
Then Sal, a classmate, arrives with the little surprise- and a lesson abut friendship that Winnie will never forget.

8. Buckskin Bandit
Winnie Willis has already answered eight horse e-mails for the Pet Help Line.  Now she's stumped.  She can't think of anything to tell someone whose biggest problem is that her parents care too much about her life.  After all, Winnie's dad had been so tied up lately with his invention and his friend Madeline, that they've barely talked.
When a bucksin disappears from the run-down Happy Trails stable, Winnie and friend Kaylee investigate- and find out what it truly means to be 'part of a herd.'


Happy reading


Saturday 8 April 2017

A reason to like the night


Hi Everyone,

It's been a busy few days here with family from different parts of the world visiting for birthdays.  We have had an awesome reunion, but I have had no time for reading (or sleeping).  So I looked in on you all here today and thought I would bring you a quick quote from Stephanie Meyer.

Stephanie Meyer is the author behind the Twilight series and her books include:

Twilight
New Moon
Eclipse
The Host
Breaking Dawn
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide
The Chemist

Official Website: http://stepheniemeyer.com/

Now, I will get back into reading my latest book and get back to you with what I am reading and a review for you.

Happy Reading



Wednesday 5 April 2017

Tuesday 4 April 2017

Cat and the stinkwater war

Cat and the Stinkwater War
Author: Kate Saunders
ISBN: 0-330-41576-x


Hi Everyone

I have to give credit to the cover first.  The copy that I have in my hand has a suede feel cover that makes the book seem special.  Second I have to give credit to my daughter who stayed consistent in her recommendation of this book.  She has been telling me to read and review this book since I started blogging.  Finally she placed book in my hand, when I finished Inkdeath, and more or less commanded that this be my next read.

It is so cute!

Cat receives a parcel from some Professor whom they thought was dead.  Inside it is a stone that turns Cat into a cat.  Yes, I told you it was cute.  Well... from there, she helps the neighbourhood cats in their battle to find and get back the prized sardine.  Are you smiling yet?

This is a special little read for any child who, like my daughter, loves animals.  She has read this book many times.  The book was given to her by my niece and she had read it and loved it also.  That means this book comes with at least two young girls recommendations.

I enjoyed the journey, the language, and simplicity of this novel.  I for one, would not hesitate in purchasing this for any girl that I know.  I would think a boy would also enjoy this but upon state that I don't think it would be up my boys alley of reading choice.


Description:

Cat gasped.  She felt her back stretching and arching.  She was shrinking - until her clothes fell around her in a floppy heap.  The stone became warm, then hot, then burning.  She dropped it with a cry that came out in a long, ragged mew.  This could not be happening!


Happy reading








This was available from: Fishpond, and Amazon

Sunday 2 April 2017

Poetry corner


Hi Everyone,

I was looking for a poem for you today and I think I have found one of the shortest peoms I have on my Kindle.  This was written by Heny David Thoreau (1817 - 1862) and I located it in Great Short Poems, Edited by Paul Negri, Dover Thrift edition. 

It is a thoughtful little peom.  Two lines, with a sense of truth.  Simple yet thoughtful.  Some of us spend too much time uttering rather than living.  Some of us live to fullest but have nothing to utter when the day is finished.  See, it is a thoughtful little poem if you think over it a little.

Happy reading