Sunday, May 10, 2026

Book Review: Grow Together by Charles Dowding

  

 

Grow Together by Charles Dowding
Love reading this book asw I've yet started my seeds for this year due to packing and moving into a new area of the US.
There are so many combinations of plants to make it so the plants themselves help the other plants. Some produce nitrogen, some other minerals that plants need to flourish.
I've done the 'three sister's from the Pilgraim days and it does work. Nice to see how some plants leaves can protect the younger smaller  crops from the sun or they'd just burn up and die.
Nice to try the combinations for yourself and I look forward to many of them myself. We have a much longer growing season here in TN so thinking with the plant blanket at night I can be growing vegetables to store in freezer up til the first of the year.  Thinking of cold cold frames also as I watched my dad wok with those. Learned so much from this book.
Great resource to keep handy.
Received this review copy from the publisher and this is my honest opinion. 

Book Review: Stranger to the Beautiful by Don Hynes

  


 
Stranger to the Beautiful by Don Hynes
Enjoyed this book of poems for many reasons. Love the seasons in New England and he describes them as true as they can be. Love  common things like water, snow, stones and so much more. Winter is my favorite month so I really resonates with those. Enjoyed the other seasons as well with the words and phrases he uses. Very calming and relaxes, puts at you peace with yourself. mind and body.
Would love to read more from this author.
Received this review copy from the publisher and this is my honest opinion.
 

Book Review: Stoneslayer Book One by Candace Lynn Talmadge

   
 
Stoneslayer Book One by Candace Lynn Talmadge
Did not think I'd enjoy this book and I was wrong, I love it. This book made into a movie would be super awesome. There is so much action and adventure and mystery and magical things happening, and  romance, strategies and so much more.  Starts out with Helen and she is powerful but in the wrong hands she can be deadly to others. Like how the story goes back to her life when she was younger so we can understand what happened then to make her like she is now. Love her healing powers and the stone and it's meaning to her and others. Hate hearing of the devils invading her thoughts as she fights them, along with help from others. Like the different characters in the book and how different they are from us humans of today. Like the relationships of others and how they effect her and how things work with the combinations of characters.
Didn't see them coming out well but the author does an excellent job of keeping it all together.
Would love to read more from this author as the scenes are very descriptive with details and I can picture myself looking from the side.  Great story.
Received a review copy from the publisher and this is my honest 

Sunday, May 3, 2026

Apr 28 The Sapphire Sea by Davis Bunn

  

 
The Sapphire Sea by Davis Bunn
This story starts with Colin who is being raised by a housekeeper. His father is the sheriff of the small southern town. One day when he first goes to school he is brought into an office and he has to talk to a woman. End result is he leaves home to live at the school for geniuses where room and board and classes are all paid for. He had feared his fathers moods especially when he had been drinking. His mother had passed away but he never went to the funeral. He finds out later why that was. Love how he excels at what they can teach him. By the age of 12 he's ready for some college classes. Love his math professor because he will be teaching him new things. He is just so much more advanced than anybody thought.
Colin still sees his father at meals with his new wife and her two boys. He fears he will have to go live with them soon as he's heading up the political ladder. 
Colin is quite outspoken and he wants to learn how to swim and the school allows that to happen. Dr. Arnold he treats with respect and he can tell him everything.  Colin knows what he really wants to study he just has to hide it from everybody, for now... Hate that he's really a loner, wish he had a family.
Love the thing that interests him so much and he does his research. He's able to help others financially. Amazing where he goes to from there, he's just so determined.
Love how sea draws him closer to his mother...
Received this review copy from Kensington Publishing via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion
#TheSapphireSea #NetGalle
  

Book Review: A Stone's Throw by Wayne Edwards

  


 

A Stone's Throw by Wayne Edwards 
Love this story. Starts out so tragic. Maggie had grown up with her mother in San Francisco.  Her mother had spells that usually lasted several hours. One day it was longer than the time Maggie was at school so she alerted the next door lady to come help.
She was transported to the hospital. .  Maggie was able to stay with the neighbors until the cost was too much for the family. Maggie was brought up with no father and had no idea who he even was. She then goes to an orphanage and then her grandfather comes to get her and they head back to Ira's ranch where she not only was to do chores but learned how to drive, run the tractors and even took care of the chickens and so much more. There is a neighbor that she likes and even her daughter and they bond. The girls all head to the store to get Maggie ready for 7th grade.
Like how she defends an overweight girl at lunch. Maggie also is so tall that she excels at the sports she's allowed to play. She often can be found playing the boys as they are more competition.
Like school life as she grows older. More heartache with her mom but she keeps busy and keeps her moms dolls around her. She is now old enough to help the local vet and tends to the office details. Love how she adapts so easily just  grasping for more knowledge.
Very descriptive details, love this book and easy going of the family situations she finds herself in.
Would read more from this author.
  

Thursday, April 30, 2026

Book Review: Wings Against the Wind by JoDee Neathery

 


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Wings Against the Wind by JoDee Neathery
This story starts out  out with Rachel and she's overseas in Paris, working at a shop and meets her lover Adam. He is married and ends up celebrating Rachel's 23rd birthday but then going home to a dinner party with his wife and others.  EMT's are not able to revive him and the strange disease he has that nobody knew about surprises me.  Paulina goes on without him, her 4th spouse and finds companionship with his step brother Knox. They travel around the European countries and also have sold the bookshop. Story also follows Rachel who's been sent to Germany to get on with her life and meets a friend that stands by her in times of trouble. So much occurs with she finds out she is pregnant with triplets. She reaches out to Knox but he's had a stroke... She keeps one baby Drew and takes the rest of her money and heads to the USA where she has a lead on where the other two children are. There are so many that help her along the way, she wants all of her children together. She secures a job and meets Hamilton a journalist and they seem to hit things off.
Love where this book goes. Love the different countries, the events that are outlined and focuses on fashion, food and the scenery.  Love hearing the Lindt company and all the famous places 
that I've read about. Such hardships Rachel has to endure and I love how she repays all those who have helped her.  Can't believe that Paulina shows up at the end with secrets from the past. So love them all.  Very descriptive details and so many feelings, down right to the core.
Part I love best is the action of donating bone marrow and what it means to the story and for real life.
Can't wait to read more form this author.

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Apr 28 Roy Orbison King of Hearts by Jeff Apter

  



 
Roy Orbison King of Hearts by Jeff Apter
Enjoyed this book and I felt it read like a discography of the artists. Lots of events, who was there and what songs were played. Love the background details and the name dropping of other musical artists. Wish there was more content about his health concerns, especially his eyes.
Love hearing how his life changed with his guitar. Love that he only wanted a harmonica when e was very young. Love reminiscing with all his songs. I listened to this review copy and the book describes the pictures in the book but I did not see pictures, just text.
Love this book because I learned some new things about Roy and his music.
I received this review copy from Kensington Publishing Citadel via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
#RoyOrbison #NetGalley.