Book Review Haven

D on't you just love the moments when you can curl up and settle in with a book? It was how I spent one weekend recently, reading The Guardian Duke. Set in London during August of 1818, it's a historical novel that combines action, suspense and romance as the reader follows the search for lady Featherstones' parents and the Duke's pursuit! While I have to admit, it was detailed rich in the beginning, making it a little rough to get into, as the story unfolded it all came together. The details throughout the book will have you feeling as if you are a part of the book, visiting Alexandria's castle, hearing the waves slapping against the rocky shore and the landscape that pulls you into the story. The characters were rich in emotion from having faith that their parents were alive to frustration on news of loss. There's tension and suspense. All very believable. It took me two and a half days to finish this book and it ended with such an incredible cliffhanger that...

 Sometimes you read a parenting book and think it's almost as painful as sitting in the waiting room of a doctor's office and sometimes you read  How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm:  And Other Adventures in Parenting Around the World by Mei-Ling Hopgood and close the book and think, Wow! Who knew! How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm is thick with anecdotes about parenting, but with a unique twist...it takes parenting from all around the globe! When I learned about the author, Mei-Ling Hopgod, being a first time mom from suburban Michigan, transplanted to Buenos Aires, I thought, "Ha! I bet I can teach her a thing or two!" Turns out she's one savvy momma! It all started with the move to Buenos Aires, where Argentine parents allow their children to stay up all hours of the night. Curious, Hopgod, put her new mother desparation to use and sought answers. She wanted to know how other cultures approach the typical challenges every parent faces: potty training, bedtime,...

 Family Game Night is a big deal at our house. We rotate who gets to pick the night's activities and it is a job that is taken with seriousness. In our many quests to find a new game we have admired the fruit shaped games in the aisle, however, it wasn't until recently we actually played the games known as BANANAGRAMS. It was terrific fun just looking at the clever packaging! The kiddos (and I) had no idea there were so many games from Banangrams! I let the kiddos pick which they wanted to start with and their choice was Appletters. The Divine Miss M adds tiles to the Appletters APPLETTERS (SPR: $14.95) : this game has tiles that you work like dominoes, connecting letter instead of dots. Conveniently packaged in an apple-shaped cloth pouch it's designed for ages six and older.  They played it for over an hour, helping each other an doing their best to implement this week's spelling words into the game. Fruitominoes was their second choice and the game they tend to gravi...

 Polar Bears Aren’t White, You Know! captures beautiful photography and combines it with rhyme making a book my children love! It shows in picture and verse the polar bear, pointing out that their fur is not truly white--which came a surprise to my children! Written and photographed by Dr. Daniel D'Auria it all blends together creating an endearing story that also brings awareness to the plight of the endangered Polar Bear and other animals. The book was easy to follow and easy to read for the older and younger children at my house. It sprouted questions about the location, Manitoba, Canada and gave us a great discussion on what endangered means and what our ecological responsibility is today. It was simple and still poignant. We enjoyed this book and my children continue to take it off the shelf and look at the pictures as well as read it to one another. It's definitely a book worth sharing. In addition to the great photographs of nature up close and the fun verse, Dr. D...

  The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson has a heart-ache beginning. It's a love story between Ella and Joe, however, one morning as Joe is on an oceanside cliff, Ella is told he drowned. Imagine that news in itself, then remember in the grief that you have two very small children to raise on her own, since their mother, Paige, abandoned them. At Joe's funeral, Paige returns and the story becomes more like a spider's web.   A few months ago, my aunt passed away. Her son is in his 30s and while my cousin wasn't small there is still tremendous grief. I cannot imagine the amplification of this grief for a small child, much less if the event had been sudden with no illness to prelude conversations.   It was easy to place myself in Ella's shoes. I could feel her stutter on decisions and weigh them as The Underside of Joy's pages turned.   While I have never given a child up for adoption , I have known women who have as well as women who have raised adopted ch...

 Li'l Man loves to play outdoors. He has an incredible imagination, and there are moments when I watch through the kitchen window when I wonder what character he has become. Even if he is isolated in a small area, he can take the ordinary and find a new life for it while he sits. His favorite things are sticks. Any kind will do. The stick has always been something boys (and girls) have gravitated towards. After all, it's natural. It's all purpose. It's free, and it's only limited by the imagination. As New York's Strong National Museum of Play pointed out when they selected a stick for inclusion in their National Toy Hall of Fame, 'It can be a Wild West horse, a medieval knight's sword, a boat on a stream, or a slingshot with a rubber band . . . If the imagination doesn't propel you enough, Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield have created a book, The Stick Book, Loads of Things You Can Make or Do with a Stick. Inside its covers are suggestions, adventures, ...

 I just finished reading, The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson . I found it a good read with plenty of emotion. It offers a historical rich backdrop on characters that experience loss, love and regret. I am honored to have been given the opportunity to interview the Sere and I share here with you a glimpse of the author behind the book. When and why did you begin writing? I began writing in grade school. I enjoyed it immensely and received a lot of positive feedback from teachers and classmates. I wasn’t getting a lot of positive feedback in other areas. Lord knows I tried to be athletic but my long skinny arms and legs wouldn’t cooperate. My singing got shut down pretty quickly too. I never made it past beginner’s ballet, hated practicing the piano, and numbers made me nervous. If it hadn’t been for writing, I might have had to turn to a life of crime in order to survive! What inspired you to write your first book? After I gra...