Books read Apr 30

Taking Love In Stride by Donna Fasano
Story about Andrea and she teaches PE at high school level. One of the girls, Denise is not really interested in sports, running or anything physical.
She loves to paint but she's afraid to tell her dad. Problem is he shows up at the school demanding his daughter run in the marathon because of his father...
By the time the principal has talked she is being told she must teach the dad how to run in order to get money for school equipment.
She sees him as being too busy for not only his daughter-which he knows nothing about but he's always flying somewhere for work and has no time to train.
He is putting his best foot forward to train and she puts him through lots of struggles. He has sore muscles after the work out but he's determined to keep going...
There is some conflicts along the way with other things that come to light... Like hearing how this book comes out in the end, quite a feat!
Would like to read more from this author-good attention to details and descriptions. Few characters so it's easy to keep track of them.
Note from the author is included at the end and list of other works by the author are highlighted at the end.
Free from Amazon and this is my honest opinion.

Life-Changing Potato Salads: In 30 Minutes Flat (Grace Légere Cookbooks Book 3) by Grace Légere
Table of contents that has no page numbers are broken up into forward, stocked pantry, choosing the right potato, very useful tips, Americana style, Mediterranean style, French style,  and international style.
Good suggestions about how to choose the best potato, using mayonnaise and yogurt, about oils,, vinegars, citrus and spices, fresh herbs, aromatics, and prepping chili peppers.
Cooking abbreviations are explained.
Recipes start with a title, summary and ingredients. Also be forewarned that you should read the details in the previous chapters about potatoes.
Directions are given and how to serve.
There are NO pictures for each recipe and there is NO nutritional information.
Each recipe does not start at the top of a new page.
There is one main big color photo per section.
Some recipes call for more than 14 ingredients so be sure you have everything before you start.
Other books by the author are highlighted at the end.

Different author name at other sites, bad formatting:
New Weight Watchers Instant Pot Freestyle Cookbook 2019: Selected & Delicious WW Smart Points Recipes For Everyday Meals by Jillian Wyatt
Table of contents starts this book off where recipes are broken up into meals.
Short intro about the instant pot and vegetables.
I'm confused about this book after reviewing the first and several other recipes because I thought we'd be using the instant pot to cook the recipes.
Each recipe starts with a title, prep and cook time and servings and smart points.
List of ingredients and directions are included but you will be using your oven, not the instant pot.
Nutritional information -not sure if it's by servings: calories, fat-NOT broken up into good or bad, carbs, sugar and protein.
Each recipe also has a color medium size photo.
Recipes do NOT start at the top of a new page.
A few recipes don't appear as if the recipe is written in English at all so be sure to read through the whole recipe first.
Not all recipes contain a color photo.
Some of the ingredients are foreign to me also: erythiritol.
Some recipes include the use of a cake mix rather than baking from scratch.
Some recipes call for canned tomatoes because of the sodium we prefer to use fresh ones and dice them ourselves.
Format of list of ingredient changes throughout the book, sometimes they use T for tablespoon, sometimes it's spelled out-no consistency.
Not impressed with this book.

Weight Watchers Instant Pot Cookbook 2019: Quick and Easy Weight Watchers Recipes with Smart Points for Healthy Weight Loss by Allison R. Heckstal
Book starts with TOC where chapters are broken up into food categories after Introduction materials.
Into talks about pro/cons of weight watchers program.
Each recipe starts with a title, cook time and servings and smart points if you are keeping track.
List of ingredients and you should be able to use a substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low sodium, low sugar products and fresh vs canned.
There are no pictures. There is NO  nutritional information.
There are a lot of herbs and spices that are used and sometimes the recipe is very long=be sure you have them all before attempting to make the recipe.
Lots of choices to make meals in the instant pot pressure cooker.

Bread Machine Magic:15 Gluten Free Bread Recipes for Your Bread Maker Machine (Celiac Disease, Gluten Intolerance, Bread Maker, Bread Machines) by Eva Reinhard
Book starts with a table of contents where there is an introduction then recipes-not in any specific order.
The recipes are gluten free and the intro explains about that.
There is also a bonus book offer.
Each recipe has a title, list of ingredients and how to make.
Asks you to set the machine to gluten free mode-not sure my machine even has that one.
There are NO pictures or Nutritional information.
Lots of variety in choosing a good bread.
Might be hard to find Pamela's gluten free bread mix or what to use in place of potato starch or xanathan gum.
,

Mediterranean Diet for Beginners AND Mediterranean Diet Instant Pot: 2 Books IN 1! by Jenna Andrews
Book starts with a table of contents where the Mediterranean diet is explained in detail: history, science and other aspects are defined.
This book also includes another cookbook for the instant pot which has the same type of chapters.
Introduction about the diet plan and it's components. Explanation about fats and good oils to use along with health benefits of this diet plan.
Sleep and exercise also play a major role in this plan.
Includes a two week meal plan but not recipes.
.
Second book included has a lot of the same introductory information about the plan.
Recipes are broken up into main meals.
Each recipe starts with how beneficial the main items in the recipe are. they are very healthy and I've not seen the measurements written as this book is.
.25 cup is 1/4 cup.  Recipe includes a title, summary of the dish, list of ingredients and how to make it.
NO pictures and NO nutritional information,  no servings and no time to make.
Some ingredients you may have a hard time finding at your local store: tahini paste, spelt flour, etc.
Some recipes call for over 15 ingredients, be sure you have them all before starting...

Alphabet Wildlife A to Z by Nata Romeo
Sketched children's book about the alphabet where each letter shows a wildlife animal.
Some of the pictures are hard to see the shape of the animal. Like all the untraditional animals.

Brain Games 30 word scramble games and puzzles for parents the kids-3 levels by Rosa Suen
The idea is to make words out of the letters given. There are levels: easy medium and hard and each one has 10 games.
Notes for parents and kids to increase spelling skills, and some for adults to beat the clock.
Score sheet is a cute idea. Answers are also given.
Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.

Children's book: The Funny Trampoline (funny bedtime story collection) by yonit werber
Colorful children's story about a gift the children receive. They imagine themselves in different places when their feet leave the ground. So cute. Lots of animals are highlighted.
Other works by the author and about the author are included at the end.
Free ebook offer and other motivational books are listed.

Book Spotlight: If Only I'd Listened by Claire Boley

Book Synopsis:

IS YOUR GIRLFRIEND PREGNANT?

How ready are you for that?

How would you deal with becoming a parent before
you've left school?

One thing's for sure, you can't unmake babies. A fact that's borne in on Peter Knight and Samantha Smithson, fifth and sixth formers at the South East Comprehensive in Deptford, living at a time when many parents are still of the old
school and pregnancy outside marriage carries a stigma.
Having to face their parents, their school friends, teachers and gossip is only
the beginning. Pete's plans for university are scotched as he must seek
work and accommodation suitable for a young family. And all
the time he still wants to have fun, with ‘friends' quite
happy to tempt him to do it.

As for Samantha, abortion is no easy option. Yet as her health, and
her faith in Peter, goes up and down, she may have
to think the unthinkable.

Author Bio:

I live in Exeter Devon UK with my husband Terry. I have a son Quinton Winter who is an artist /illustrator. Quinton lives in Whitstable kent with his partner and there two children.
If Only I'd Listened is my debut novel it was released on the 27/7/17. The story is based in London in the 1960s. Samantha who is a 16 year old school girl gets pregnant by her 17 year old boy friend Pete. Samantha spends most of the nine months in and out of hospital while Pete spends most of his time going out and about with his mates who encourage him to enjoy himself by going to clubs and pubs to meet other girls.
The first book I wrote was in 2012 when I was commissioned to write a craft book - Hand Spinning and Natural Dyeing.

MY REVIEW:

If Only I'd Listened by Claire Boley
About the author starts this novel off then a dedication page.
Story starts with Samantha and her life about when she met Peter and their relationship began.
She had called her mom to tell her about her predicament and now they are in front of her parents getting a talking to about abortion and how could they have sex before school even ended.
They are asked to leave and never come back so head to Peter's house where the family dynamic is the opposite of Sam's house.
Scary, to me, situations when they leave there to go to the callbox so they can find a place for Sam to spend the night...
Not familiar with the England slang but most of it I could understand the content meaning. Tragic events follow them when they are both trying to survive and move into adulthood.
Quite a few characters come into the picture-to help them and to deter them from just having fun and being a teen.
I recall an aunt of mine also had to go to a nun's house to birth her child til the father could care for them during the 1960's in the US. Can't even imagine the obstacles they faced although this story goes into details about that and more.
Kinda didn't like the ending unless there is another book in the series. Ends but you don't know what paths they take from there on-use your imagination I guess.
Enjoyed this new author to me writing style and would like to read more of her works.
I received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.

Book Review: The Adventures of Bang-Bang Man by Philip Nork

The Adventures of Bang-Bang Man by Philip Nork 
Story of Matt who is now single, he's lost his wife and kids to divorce and they don't bother with him anymore.
Only thing important to him is betting and the horses. VInnie-the landlord of his complex sets him up with a computer and teaches him how to use it for betting.
That's after he's been tossed off the grounds of the horse facility where he used to bet and argue with the the drivers that made him lose his money.
Over the years he learns he can order anything online and have it delivered. His house is a mess and he gets into chat areas where he states one time the left side of his body is numb.
Vinnie tends to him and Matt wakes up in the hospital where he'd suffered a heart attack. With help from so many he's able to change his life around and even lose 300 pounds.
Those who do care about him, and he thought he had none, come to talk to him and that gives him enough promise to continue on and show progress.
It just takes that one person in his life to change it all around.
Like this story because it tells me of what really happens behind the scene with the horses and also about not only heart attacks but stomach surgery which my girlfriend had just undergone.
Felt so sorry for Matt when he hit bottom and glad he changed his habits to better his life.
Never give up, someone is always there for you.
Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.

Book Review: Mother's Day with Snowman Paul by Yossi Lapid

Mother's Day with Snowman Paul by Yossi Lapid
Colorful children's book that rhymes and tells and shows how great Dan's mother is.
Paul is a snowman and he teaches us how he was born and about Mother Nature. So cool as we just celebrated Earth Day.
Very colorful pictures of the actions that are spoken.
Love the ending showing a lot of different animals and people with their mothers.
About the author is included and the photographer Joanna Pasek.
Free coloring book linked at the end. Praise and other works by the author is highlighted at the end.
Perfect Mother's Day gift for all to enjoy.
Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.

Books read Apr 25

Lianne Second Chances Series by Mona Ingram
This book starts where first book left off. We are following Lianne and she has lots or diseaster and tragedies occur in the short period of time.
Her friends are there for her as she makes decisions that will effect the rest of her life at the ranch.
She agrees to house the casting crew throughout the ranch to make money that is needed for upkeep.
She decides to visit England where her father and mother had chrished their time there.
She meets James and learns all about his life and he'd been taking care of his grandmother while the fiancée wanted to put her in a home.
After she died he tries to find his place and thinks of work, for himself. He shares his dreams with Lianne and she has her own thoughts on the subject.
She opens up about the foursome of women back home and tells him of her past and where she's at now...
He's fallen in love with her and wants to proect her. Backward meal=we just had one a few weeks ago, too funny!
A misunderstanding and sabotage leaves her on the doorstep at his house for dinner and he's no where there but his female neighbor is...
She heads back to the states and tries to get on with her life.
Amazing how this all works out with the town revitalization. Didn't see it coming as it did!
Free book from Amazon and this is my honest opinion.

Hot Salsas: 40 Simple, Quick, Easy and Spicy Authentic Mexican Salsa Recipes (The Mexican Food Cookbooks Book 8) by J.R. Deschamps
Book starts with TOC and the recipes are not in any specific order.  There are bonus recipes also at the end.
Other works by the author are highlighted. Love the warning pages showing the names of the peppers and just how hot they are on the index meter.
Recipes start with a title and list of ingedients which most items are on the healthy side.
Directions are given and there are NO pictures.
There is NO nutritonal information.
I enjoy salsa these days and smear it all over our chicken or marinate it, what a taste. The recipes here would definitely enhance a meal.
There is so much variety with not use the use of different peppers but other ingredients.
Color index of the peppers used and their hotness is included at the end.

Growing Berries: How To Grow & Preserve Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Gooseberries, Red currants, Black currants & White currants. by James Paris

Starts with  other works by the author and table of contents where different berries are highlighted.

Introduction talks aobut why it's good to grow your own and other chapters in the book.

Zone maps of not only the US but UK as well.

Part that I liked was the composting section because it tells you what to put in your pile to make it work, and fast.

Companieon planting and organic insect control are other chapters, very useful.

There are pictures scattered around showing different aspects during the book.

Each of the berries has its own chapter where it summarizes about the plant, how to plant,, care varieties,  main predators,  companions and harvesting/preserving.

There are even recipes for the fruit you pick, jams and jellies.

Other works by teh author are also highlighted at the end.

A KEEPER!  especially for compost section as it'd work in any garden.

Whole 30 Instant Pot #2019: The Ultimate Whole 30 Instant Pot Cookbook with Easy and Delicious Instant Pot Cooker Recipes by Stewart Brock (Author)

Book start with TOC and intro, about the instant pot and how to take care of it and then the recipes broken up by meals.

Be careful as there are about 10 different versions of the instant pot on the market these days.

Not every pot will have the same functions.

Whole 30 diet tells you what foods to avoid and which you should be eating.

Each recipe starts with a title and servings, prpe and cook time.

List of ingredients and directions are givne.

Some nutritonal information per serving: calories, fat-NOT broken up into good or bad, carbs and protein.

There are NO pictures.

Ellis Lighthouse mysteries of the North Atlantic by Cahill_ Robert

What a super book to read. History of the lighouses, lightships and other things relating to them.

Goes all the way above maine to Canadian provicnes and stories of their lighthouses over the years.

Best part for me as I've visited all the ones you can walk to in the US on the NE coast was when they talk about the 1938 hurricane that came up

the coast with a 70 foot wall of water-hurricane, tsumani, whatever it was it hit Prudence Island where I grew up. I was not born then but know the history of the island.

Now everyone else can learn it also. Like the legends and myths of those  clipper ghost ships making their appearances.

So much to treasure as I've been to most of them myself but didn't know all the hidden stories.

Beautiful history lessons.

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

Word Scrambles: 30 Puzzles of Dog Breed Names, Book 1 by Fun and Educational Entertainment 

Starts with table of contents and different levels and bonus puzzle.

Introduction tells you how to play, alone or with a group.

Easy level gives you a list of a bunch of different letters scrambled and you are to figure out which dog breed they are. the answers are also given using a link in the book.

Different levels of names are also included as the puzzles get more difficult.

Wish there were pictures identifying them also.

I WON’T CUT MY HAIR! by Daniel Georges

Colorful children's book and offer of a free ebook at the front.

What I love about this book is the words are small but a double tap will make them big so you can read them to your child.

Sally has purple hair and everybody loves her. She thinks if she grows her hair longer then others will like her even more so she doesn't cut it.

Her hair grew so long that everybody was stepping on it.

She had to ask her mom for help because she could no longer brush it.

Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.

Cute story.

Something’s Eating The Garden by Pam Fries  

Colorful children's story. papa notices the vegetables he picks and knows something has been eating the rest of them....

He tries to guess what it could be and names some animals but knows they eat bugs not beans.

Some pages are dark with dark lettering making it difficult to see the words.

He guesses a frog, raccoons, spotted  giraffe, bear, bunny, elephant etc.

Love that there are so many animals named.

Love how this ends, he does figure it out!

It's a Hip Hop Hip Hop World For Every B-Boy and B-Girl: History For Kids (Culture For Kids Book 1) by A.D. Largie 

Children's book about living in the 1978's in NY and being African American.

Some pages are dark with dark lettering making it almost not viewable. Pictures tell the story also.

Elements of Hip Hop are shown and discussed. Like how they show you how it was introduced to the public and it caught on.

Other works by the author are highlighted at the end.

49 Awesome Chinese Recipes (The Ultimate Chinese Cookbook That Brings an Entire American Chinese Buffet to Your Dinner Table) by Christine Richards 

Starts with other works by the author then table of contents  where the recipes are not in any specific order.

Short intro then onto the recipes.

Each recipe has a title and list of ingredinets which you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low sodium, low sugar and low fat products and fresh vs. canned.

Directions are given. There are NO pictures.

there is NO nutritional information.

Some of the recipes will take a bit of time to make as there are a lot of components to make.

There's a few I'd like even the fotune cookie one!

Vegetarian Recipes - The Ultimate Guide by Jessica Dreyher 

Starts with offer of a free ebook, then TOCwhere recipes are not broken up into any specific order.

Recipes start with a title, prep, cook, ready in time, servings and list of ingredients which you should be able to substitute for your healthier dietary needs: low sodium, low fat and low sugar products along with fresh vs canned.

Directions are given and there are NO pictures.

there is NO nutritional information.

Each recipe does NOT always start at the top of a page.

Like the combination of spices and ingredients and will try a few.

Firenze's Light by Jessica Collaç

Children's book so I'm not sure why the letters and words are so tiny. Even using the tablet you can not easily increase the words to read them.

Pages are dark in color and background. Coudln't see the words to read them, maybe they can be enlarged the next revision?

Book Review: Caught by surprise by Jen Turano

Caught by surprise by Jen Turano
Thought from the summary of this book it was not one I'd be enjoying, thinking of abduction and things smilar to SVU from tv shows.
I was totally wrong and this is a fun read. Temperance is abducted and Gilbert is the one to find her-in Chicago. She tells him of her ordeal, her old time friend who they grew up together.
Just when you think the Pinkerton man has found the culprits other clues come into play. and just when you think it's been solved again, MORE clues are told.
So many secrets from the past come to light making the mysteries believeable.
Love hearing of how astritic she is in everything she touches. Like mention of the Vanderbilts and Astors from Newport, RI and their cottages-we had just visited one of the marble mansions and I can see how theses characters would fit right in.
This book is not only about Temperance but others, Clementine and all the others who come to play a part.
So many twists and turns, very unpredictable.
I was able to listen to this from the National Library Service and each character had their own voice-was a fun read for me.
Although this is book 3 it can be read as a stand alone.
recommended by Bookfun.org 

Apr 23, 2019 The Summer Cottage by Voila Shipman

he Summer Cottage by Viola Shipman
Love the idea of this book and was very close to doing something similiar when my mother passed away and left her estate to the children. I was 1 of the 5 but others wanted to sell the houses and land.
Adie Lou always wanted it to become a quilt retreat where others would go and spend time on the quiet island and learn how to quilt and be taught how to do so-you could live in the houses and be fed. Just sold last house a week ago.
Starts out with a woman who's going through a divorce, her son is going to her ex's school, tuitiion paid for and she's at lost ends with her job. Cashes in and heads back to the house on the lake where she grew up. She wants to turn int into a B&B but others in town have other ideas.
She needs to meet their standard of approval. She then seeks out help from the locals who can do the work she needs done to improve the house/rooms and the boat so she can take guests out on sundown cruises on the lake.
Love how she struggles and gets the jobs done!  This would make an awesome movie as all the scenes are described in great details.
Love the rules of the cabin-priceless!  Love hearing what her name means, history of fish cottage.
Love how her girlfriend and her son both help with the project-they are so resourceful.
Love hearing the story of the author's childhood, very similair to mine during the summer months. Brothers used to work on the ferry-not chain driven-you had to just throw a heavy rope over the piling, LOL
Like instructions on how to make a sand castle=so cool! Like this romantic love story intwined with the beach story. Notes from the author at the end.
Reader's guide is also enclosed.
Received this review copy from HARLEQUIN - Graydon House Books (U.S. & Canada) Graydon House Romance, Women's Fiction via Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.
 #TheSummerCottage #NetGalley