Book Reviews
You are never lonely when you have a good book for company. Open and honest book reviews covering both fiction and non-fiction titles. The perfect guide for finding the ideal read for bedtime, self-care days or holidays.
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How Dark Are Frank L. Baum’s Wizard of Oz Books?
Across the internet’s meme subculture, there’s plenty of fan-theory-like discussion of The Wizard of Oz movie. Among the prevailing theories, there’s the hypothesis that The Wicked Witch of the West was well within her rights to pursue Dorothy. After all, Dorothy did kill her sister and steal those magical red shoes. There’s plenty of other theories, too, all touching upon the theme of the movie being a lot darker than it intended to be. Of course, we don’t need to stress what a cultural phenomenon The Wizard of Oz has become. It’s influenced everything from Wicked, which became one of Broadway’s longest-running shows ever, to popular casino games like Book…
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Lil’ Leo The Chosen One – book review
I am firmly of the opinion that more adults should read children’s books. They are great to escape with bringing colour, a simple story and usually a great message too. I highly recommend Lil’ Leo the Chosen One which brings to life the story of Parnita Senjit’s real-life certified therapy dog as a cartoon character complete with a black and white scarf. Background to the book The global pandemic has changed our lives in many ways. It has forced us to go within and seek for ideas to heal ourselves. Every human being across the world has been impacted by this and a huge reset button has been pressed. In…
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The Missing Husband – a book review
After the collapse of my marriage, I have so much time on my hands. Feelings are often sad and lonely so distractions are needed. One positive of all this is that I am getting back to reading. It fills up those hours and takes me into other worlds. When I was approached to read The Missing Husband I was struck by the irony. We have a Kate in the United Kingdom and her husband heading off on an adventure in France. I’m a Kate who wants to be in France but am back here for the welfare of the children and my husband decided to stay to live his French…
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5 ways reading can your child learn about feelings and emotions.
Did you know reading with your little ones can help them self-regulate their emotions and help with child development? We’ve teamed up with medical doctor and counsellor, Julia B. Grantham, also the author of a best selling children’s book, ‘A Mole Like No Other’. Here we give her tips on how reading can help your child understand and express their emotions. 1. Reading with your child is a fantastic way to help them to learn social skills. Even toddlers and pre-schoolers can learn socially acceptable – and unacceptable – behaviours through reading books. Books offer the ideal opportunity to discuss human behaviour – such as how a character is feeling…
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Let in the Light by Gerard Nugent – Book review
I love sharing book reviews especially when I have enjoyed the read as much as is the case with Let in the Light by Gerard Nugent. This is a book about a musician, shop assistant and father living in Edinburgh. I have neglected reading in recent weeks so it was good to return to such a lovely leisure activity with a real page-turner. What the novel is about We meet Richie who is a musician who has fallen a little out of love with music for reasons that are revealed as the book goes along. We discover his relationships troubled and otherwise with the mother of his child, his son,…
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Everything I Know About Love Book Review
Parties, dates, friends, jobs and life in general – what does it have in common? It all roots in connections and love. Everything I Know About Love is a bestselling memoir by Dolly Alderton exploring the many sides of love, from romantic partners to friends, family members and last but not least selflove. Diving into the life of a UK-based girl growing into an independent – yet human and flawed – woman, this is a book you’ll enjoy over and over. Love all over As cliché as it might sound, love is at the root of everything. And in this book, that is particilarly true. While we follow stories of…
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Girl Gone Greek Book Review
A weird thing is happening to me in lockdown. I have a few books to read but seem reluctant to pick them up much. When I do I find it hard to focus and escape into the story as I would normally do. This is annoying as obviously I have plenty of time and space in my current situation to get some good reading done. Interestingly, I also find dramas on the television seem to go so slowly. I am starting to believe that because the Coornavirus crisis is changing all the time that everything else seems to go at a much slower pace. Anyway, without further ado, here is…
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Top 14 blog post ideas for your book blog
Book Blogging is a great thing to indulge in. You get to read a lot of books, talk books, and spread the word about books. Running a book blog is an exhausting job, unlike your preconceived notions. Just like all other bloggers, book bloggers too run out of ideas. You cannot write reviews all the time because let’s be honest, nobody would then be engaging on your blog. Your audience wants something more than just reviews from you. You can try contemplating and brainstorming on the ideas for your new blog post. Sometimes ideas just will not come. So, how can you maintain the growth of your blog? How can you…
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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Book Review
To Kill a Mockingbird is a world-known literary classic. This novel has become popular since the first day of publishing and remains relevant until today. It is a beautiful piece of writing that deals with many moral questions and societal issues. It is not surprising that it is a part of the American literary canon. Whether one reads it as a kid or as an adult, it is impossible to remain indifferent to this novel. source: https://unsplash.com/photos/vlHTeS-8ZSU Strong and Inspiring Characters People described in this book are among the best and well-thought characters. Harper Lee has introduced a few great persons to us. Not only are they inspiring but also…
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The 24 Hour Cafe book review
I am delighted to finally be sharing my The 24 Hour Cafe book review with you. This novel by Libby Page is superb and the best I have read for years. If you are someone who loves to people watch and is interested in those big themes like love and loss, this is the book for you to savour next. In fact, I suggest you find a greasy spoon or a tearoom and settle down for a little rest and relaxation whilst reading. The setting or The 24 Hour Cafe book Almost all of the action in the book takes place at Stella’s Cafe which as you might have guessed…
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How to get back to reading books
Do your remember a time when you found it easy to pick up a book and immerse yourself in the joy of reading. In a busy world with work and parenting responsibilities, many of use lose our way a bit when it comes to this pastime. Check out 4 powerful tips on how to get back to reading books from Payton. “Prioritizing reading has been a real struggle for me these past couple of years. I don’t know what caused it. I think it’s a mix of my OCD and the never-ending entertainment of the Internet. And like a lot of self-proclaimed bookworms who grew up devouring book after book,…
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Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion book review
Do you need to step up your mental game? We all need to consider this from time to time as life throws its various challenges our way. I like to share book reviews on my blog and am delighted to share this one from Alex Laurie about Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B Cialdini. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion As I was strolling through Barnes & Nobles, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B Cialdini caught my eye. I love the self help section and psychology section of book stores. I feel like it helps me grow on an individual level. As a salesperson, I’m always looking…
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The Blanket Bears Book Review
When I was asked to do The Blanket Bears Book review I was amazed as the request came on the 50th anniversary of my own adoption or rather the day my new parents took me home for the first time. Now that is what they call serendipity. The Blanket Bears is a book about adoption from a child’s perspective. Adoption is a wonderful thing and was the making of me. However, like many adopted children I have struggled with issues around identity all my life. I also experience insecurity a lot and can be quite needy apparently. It makes absolute sense that a child will experience trauma on being removed…
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Book Review of Destinations by Sheila O’Flanagan
After reading and reviewing the Missing Wife, I was keen to seek out author Sheila O’Flanagan again. I went off to a second-hand book shop hoping to find one of her novels. Sadly the only book they had available by her was a collection of short stories called Destinations. I was happy enough really and bought it. Here is my book review of Destinations, Setting The stories are all based on stops along DART which is the electric rail system in Dublin. Funnily enough I have always wanted to write a book of short stories myself based on public transport. I am sure like me you have found yourself at…
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Books subscription service to inspire strong women
I love the idea of women getting a little treat every month or so. Subscription boxes are a great investment in yourself and also make a great gift for those you care about. As they arrive, they are a little reminder that you exist and that you matter. It is easy to lose sight of that as we juggle increasingly busy lives. I try to be a champion for women’s voices via this blog. So I am delighted to share an interview with Rachel from the Rare Birds Book Club so we hear more about her books subscription service. Tell us a little about your childhood and teenage years I…
