Sept 14 Book Review: Dad by Steven Manchester

 

Dad by Steven Manchester

What I like about this book is that there are parts in there that remind me of my dad and things he did through the years.

Love that the relationships change as time goes on as they draw closer to one another.

They are all strong and brave in their own way and got each others backs. Hard parts are the struggles but rewards come through from the hard work done.

Big hands, this is so my father. I think the more work he did is testament to them being so large. I recall when he worked up to 4 jobs a day, He also treasured family especially at holidays.

It was unwritten but you had to be at family gatherings, even if you had to bring your in=

laws with you that was accepted also.

Thanks to all who helped make this book, so much research, love local places mentioned that are no longer around.

Can't wait for the next book from this author.

A KEEPER!  Beautiful story.

Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.

Book Review: With Net and Coble

 

With Net and Coble A Salmon Fisher on the Cromarty Firth by George Chamie

Love the poems throughout, the pictures and legends, superstitions and history and maps and so much more.

Scotland: This is a book about how the old timers would fish for salmon. What a skill to have to get the fish. Everything is well explained about how to do it.

Even one by themselves could do the job but it's very hard, harsh conditions and so much could go wrong and you'd lose it all.

Love the memories of 1960's and songs about ...flowers in your hair... I so recall those tunes also.

Love hearing of the cairns and other  methods of fishing were done since centuries when it first started. The spear fishers I recall doing that on the shores here in NorthEast when it was almost winter the fish would beach themselves on the shore.  Easy to spear.

There are so many mentioned that are now gone. Also story behind why the salmon are no longer caught this way. 

Follows the author from a young age and all through his life and where he was at different times of his years and he does go back to the old way of fishing for salmon.

We had one species of salmon from the southern highlands of Scotland and it was the best we have ever had, Wester Ross salmon.  That was one reason why I wanted to read this book.

Other is I love to hear about how others use their hands to make a living, whether it be fishing, gardening or sewing or working with metals.

Now the environmental agencies own the area. Love hearing exactly where they would locate the best fish and knew which ones to stay away from.

Tragic times also, with monofilament lines, with waders a few went under and couldn't get back to the top of the water. 

Like hearing of the downtime when there's nothing to watch for so you take a nap on the beach and get to talk to your fellow fisher people to really get to know them.

So fun to listen about parties and cooking on the beach with fish and there are even recipes included in this story.

We have recreated a clam boi here in town at a relatives house where they dug a big hole in the ground and layered the clams and other foods with hay and seaweed and hours later it was done. 

It was heavenly and so fresh tasting.  The smelters went into production and author moved away...

So many problems arose over time and the author goes into detail about the problems and why they played a part in shutting down some of the industry.

Air over water is different than air over land.  Reasons why author doesn't like farming salmon, in water using cages.

Birds and raptors of the area are discussed. 

Reflections chapter ends the book along with a poem, The Last Fishers. Love how a fisher can be woman or man. Glossary is included at the end

and many acknowledgements. Such an awesome read.  So many more pictures and what fascinates me is everybody is always smiling, they enjoy what they were doing.

I received this review copy from Pen & Sword, Pen & Sword History via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

#WithNetandCoble #NetGalley

Book Review: The Crochet Crowd: Inspire, Created, Celebrate by Michael Sellick, Daniel Zondervan

 

The Crochet Crowd: Inspire, Created, Celebrate by  Michael Sellick, Daniel Zondervan

Book starts out with table of contents then introduction and about the authors and  just how the crochet crowd came about.

So many personal details and about how crocheting saved him while growing up. So sad to hear of the tragic upbringing and then again so very happy about how crochet saved him.

So many items in this book I want to make. Patterns are easy for all and even though they have row by row instructions there is also  the option to use the chart to crochet.

Very colorful photos of the items. Each patterns starts with a paragraph about the item.

List of what you will need: yarn, hooks, other notions are listed. Special stitches are explained along with other notes for the pattern.

Instructions per round or row start the pattern and you can also use the chart format included.

Charts include stitch key. Photos with people in them they are all so happy, they must love what they are doing.

Like hearing of the idea of crochet cruises and swapping a square with others to make your own charity afghan or give it as a gift to another.

Love yarn tales stories, so cool!

1800's Ireland and potato famine and how Irish crochet came about.

Love the idea of the craft shows and how to watch and listen to what it is people want to buy.

Tips about how to be a success at the craft show is included!

Abbreviations are listed at the end and they explain how to make the stitches.

Tunisian abbreviations are also included with explanations of the stitches.

Resources via YouTube channel are listed.  Acknowledgements and thanks lists  yarn testers.

Love how the colors of the yarn tell a story along with just the right pattern. 

Links online of where to find the authors are included.

Great resource book and pattern collection to keep on hand.

A KEEPER! 

I received this review copy from Nimbus Publishing, MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc. via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

#TheCrochetCrowd #NetGalley 

Books read Sep 10

 

A Christmas Visitor by Anne Perry

This is a tale of a murder at Christmastime. The mother, son and father had gone to a festive show and then came back home.

The father leaves to take a walk.  He never comes back.  The police do find his body and the questions start as things are not right about the whole thing.

The other family members show up, some with spouses and everybody helps with collecting the clues to piece this puzzle together.

First off there is chatter about the deed to the house and lands. Forged documents and who is to gain comes up. Body was found upriver but river was flowing in the opposite direction.

I never thought for a minute it was who they discover, such crime solving skills they have.

I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

 

 

A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas

Comical at times as the kids talk about years gone by when they were younger and the fun things they 

would do around the holidays. Such fun memories.

I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

Christmas at the Restaurant (The Nantucket Restaurant series Book 2) by Pamela M. Kelley 

About the author starts this book and how to contact her.

Nantucket at Christmas. Love hearing of the stroll.

Family inherited the restaurant with understanding they all had to work at it for a full year. After that others left the island but make visits still while others stayed on.

Work is going great with more being served. The stroll brings out a special menu along with wine from a nearby location combining efforts to serve the bigger crowds.

Love hearing about the the celebrations, even the small ones that pack a punch. So many fun times and things anybody can do during the season.

Food sounds so delicious wish the book had a recipe or two.  Lots of family get togethers and bonding with workers. Enjoy the tour of the island and sites. Grew up on an island and

remember when Santa would arrive on the police boat, very similar to this story. So memorable.

Especially love the Christmas angel, one who hears of other misfortunes and magically within days the problem is solved, usually due to one who donated money or goods to the unfortunate ones.

I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

Books read Sept 7

 

Sand Dollar Summer by Kimberly K. Jones

Story starts off with Lisa who's twelve and she watches her strong brave mother as her life crumbles with a car accident.

Everything goes downhill from there for Lise. Her mom moves them to Maine at a beach, where she learns so much more about her mother's past life growing up there.

She is terrified of the sea but gets help from her mother's male friend. He helps take care of her mother and figures out a way to make her legs work a bit better, in the ocean.

Loved hearing of the things she could be herself on the island and to be able to read as much as she wanted. Love the people she meets, the true islanders who become her friends.

Especially like Ben who lives in a shanty near the shore and he's very old and explains about ocean to her and other things dealing with the lcoale. Shark took necklace, sounds so cool...

The hurricane is due to hit them and some take care to board up their places against the fierce wind and rains. We had just gone through three here in RI in the past 3 weeks time and have endured the 36 hours of salty rain and winds and no electric.

Have gone through so many more here in my life so I can imagine how she really feels. She is caught off guard and tries to outrun the storm as you watch her struggle in the waves, at the rock shore.

Love watching her mom get strong again and how she is able to find things along the beach, using her walker.  Peaceful ending for some on the island and it makes you stronger.

Enjoyed this read and it was scary at times. Love legend of sand dollar, very delicate.

I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

No Time Left by David Balducci

About a hitman who's got another job. He's notified where to go and he gets details.

He is not told why the woman has to die and he must shake the old man's hand. We discover so much more about the details and they don't site right with the hitman.

His mother comes to him in his dreams, haunting.

I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

The Magic School Bus Makes a Rainbow: A Book About Color by Joanna Cole, Jocelyn Stevenson,

This book I listened to and it starts out with about the author and about the illustrator.

Starts out with kids asking the teacher why the colors are in the order they are.

The kids talk among themselves and experiments they try to do. The closet is making noises and they go to investigate.

She teaches them how to use the machine and how to use regular white light to make a rainbow.

Field trip takes them to magic bus. They go into the machine, prisms and colors, so magical.

Teacher shows them to game to play to make the colors. I have seen the prisms in my eyeglasses and in my magnifying glass, it so so cool and you can easily get lost just watching as you turn just a tiny bit. 

I can just imagine how colorful this book is.  They have a problem getting out of the machine til one thinks harder about it...

Letters to the editors are included at the end.  Note from the teacher also and she talks about transparent items will allow light to go through. 

I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

Noisy Book by Margaret Wise Brown

Listened to this story about the small puppy who has a cinder in his eye and the vet puts patch over his eye.

We hear the sounds he hears, love how they speak the sounds of everything around them, on his way home.

I can just imagine the pages in this book being so colorful.

Cute story and teaches you that you can see things by hearing the sounds, not by seeing them.

Never realized she had so many other books dedicated to sounds. 

I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

To be wanted at Christmastime by Gerald D. Sullivan

One story is about an adopted boy that's been bullied at school and he meets an old man and has a proposal for him....

The old man  he will play Santas helper  if he gets snowed in at a school the next day. . Hotel has food in the morning and the boy and prinicapl show up to take him to  school .

Christmas bus I really enjoyed as the old man helps others with math homework and gets to listen to kids sing holiday tunes. He gets the perfect gift when he arrives at his destination.

Black tree and black ornament was interesting story seen from a black boys eyes. Teacher gets him.

I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

Book Review: Yara and Purr The Rescue of a Purring Monkey by Yossi Lapid

 

Yara and Purr The Rescue of a Purring Monkey by Yossi Lapid

This colorful children's rhyming book starts out when Yara is one her daily rounds. She comes across an injured monkey. He alerts her that his baby is out in the jungle.

She takes him to her mother for care and then goes to find the lost baby monkey. She is very soft and calm and she is able to inform him where his father is.

Love how caring they are to one another.  Love the idea at the end of the book, I can just imagine the scene.

This book ends with other works by the author, in the series they were made for. You can read them as stand alone books also.

Love how this ends with facts about the special monkeys that are on the world's 25 most endangered primates in 2018.

Love reading about them and that there are things we as humans can do about the situation.

Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.

Book Review: Royal by Danielle Steel

 

Royal by Danielle Steel

1934 and Charlotte the youngest of the princesses is being sent, with her horse to stay with an older couple in the country.

That will keep her safe from the war bombings and due to her asthma. The couple have a boy her age, who plans to enlist in the army soon,  and another lady stays with them as well to help them with chores.

The older princesses are able to do things useful for the country.

Her name will be different also and she is so sad to be leaving. She  falls in love and they get married and have the baby while he serves the country.

Unimagineable things occur and Lucy, the orphan who helps out the couple ends up with the baby and she knows who the parents were from letters Charlotte had kept.

Everybody dies and she takes the baby and makes a new life for herself in a new location. She falls in love and they marry and she has twins-her first REAL birth and she needs to keep the secret about the first babys identity to herself.

At some point they could be sitting on the throne ruling over the country...she has plans to get money out of them to live in high style.

Love parts where the royals look over the box of letters and other information and gather her into the folds of their family.  She takes a job at the stables, her favorite spot to be and is able to become a jockey, her life dream.

She had to give up her boyfriend though, it was either the jockey position or him. 

Sad book at times but you can also see just how strong she really is. 

I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).