Wednesday, May 8, 2024
*Monthly Update* April 2024
Monday, April 15, 2024
*Review* MoneyWise Mabel's Bursting Bank by Kalee Boisvert
When Mabel pulls her piggy bank out from under the bed, it’s stuffed. She can’t fit one more coin inside–Piggy is bursting!
What should Mabel do with all that money? Buy candy? Toys? Games!? Mabel’s so excited that her bed becomes a trampoline and she wants to spend it all. But then her mother explains that money doesn’t have to burn a hole in your pocket—a lesson that sends Mabel on a journey to learn what it means to become “moneywise.” Follow her as she takes her first steps to independence by opening a bank account!
Teach your school-aged kids fundamentals about money management with this approachable, fun, and charming debut from Kalee Boisvert, full of colorful illustrations and easy-to-understand concepts.
www.kaleeboisvert.com Instagram: @kaleeboisvert
Kalee Boisvert has been in the financial industry for over fifteen years, but her love of money began very young. Growing up in a single parent household, she watched her mom struggle with finances and wished there was something she could do to help. She wasn’t going to allow her circumstances to define her, and thus her own journey into financial literacy and wealth management began. Kalee now has an MBA in Finance from the Haskayne School of Business and is a financial professional whose focus remains on sparking healthy and positive conversations around wealth and investments. She is also a proud mom to eight-year-old Ivy and new baby Jax. She lives with her family in Calgary, Alberta. MoneyWise Mabel’s Bursting Bank is her first book for children. Her self-help title Make Money Your Thing will be released by RE: Books in Spring 2023.
*Review* Don't be Mean to 13 by Douglas Harris
Douglas is the co-author of the award-winning children's books My Name is Stardust, Stardust Explores the Solar System, Stardust Explores Earth's Wonders and Elle the Humanist. His upcoming book, Don't Be Mean to 13, will be released on Friday, October 13th, 2023!
Douglas co-authored the Stardust Book series with his 17-year-old daughter, Bailey Harris. My Name is Stardust is the first in their series of children's illustrated science storybooks and features a foreword by renowned evolutionary biologist and author Richard Dawkins. Book two in the series, Stardust Explores the Solar System, was released in 2018. Book three, Stardust Explores Earth's Wonders, was released in 2019.
Douglas co-authored Elle the Humanist with his 12-year-old daughter, Elle Harris. Elle the Humanist is a beautifully illustrated book presenting humanist ideas and ethics in a way that's warm, welcoming, and accessible for young readers. It features a foreword by renowned philosopher and author Daniel Dennett.
In partnership with the Center For Inquiry and the Translations Project, Elle The Humanist and the three books in the Stardust Book series are available for free in Urdu, Arabic, Farsi and Bahasa Indonesia – languages chosen by the Translation Project to help make scientific and humanist literature more available in Muslim-majority countries, where access to such literature can be very limited.
Douglas was a featured expert panel speaker at the 2017 BookCon in NYC on Science and Education. While releasing his book at BEA/NYC in 2017, he was interviewed by Helen Little for The Public Library Podcast on iHeartRadio about science, education and literature.
*Review* A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones
Del Sol, New Mexico is known for three things: its fry-an-egg-on-the-cement summers, strong cups of coffee—and, now, a nationwide manhunt? Del Sol native Sunshine Vicram has returned to town as the elected sheriff—thanks to her adorably meddlesome parents who nominated her—and she expects her biggest crime wave to involve an elderly flasher named Doug. But a teenage girl is missing, a kidnapper is on the loose, and all of this is reminding Sunshine why she left Del Sol in the first place. Add to that the trouble at her daughter’s new school, plus and a kidnapped prized rooster named Puff Daddy, and, well, the forecast looks anything but sunny.
But even clouds have their silver linings. This one's got Levi, Sunshine's sexy, almost-old-flame, and a fiery-hot US Marshal. With temperatures rising everywhere she turns, Del Sol's normally cool-minded sheriff is finding herself knee-deep in drama and danger. Can Sunshine face the call of duty—and find the kidnapper who's terrorizing her beloved hometown—without falling head over high heels in love...or worse?
NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious RITA, a Golden Heart, and a Daphne du Maurier, and her books have been translated into 17 languages. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, certain they went away the better for it. She penned the international bestselling Charley Davidson series and is currently working on several beloved projects, most notably the Sunshine Vicram Mystery Series with St. Martin's Press and the Betwixt and Between Series of paranormal women's fiction. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.
Click here to read one of the more popular short stories by Darynda called The Monster:
https://theneverneath.com/2018/02/02/the-monster-part-1/
She can be found at http://www.daryndajones.com
*Review* The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix
Return to the enchanting world of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London in this sequel by Garth Nix, bestselling master of teen fantasy, where once again a team of booksellers must fight to keep dangerous magic under cover before the stuff of legends destroys our world. New York Times bestseller!
There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity that inhabits the ancient hot spring.
This time trouble comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger, requiring a desperate rescue attempt from his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, and art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage.
The map takes the trio to a place separated from this world, maintained by deadly sorcery and guarded by monstrous living statues. But this is only the beginning. To unravel the secrets of a murderous Ancient Sovereign, the booksellers must investigate centuries of disappearances and deaths. If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.
*Discussion Questions* The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers *SPOILERS*
*Review* The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers
North Carolina, 1946. One woman. A discovery that could rewrite history.
Maddie Sykes is a burgeoning seamstress who’s just arrived in Bright Leaf, North Carolina—the tobacco capital of the South—where her aunt has a thriving sewing business. After years of war rations and shortages, Bright Leaf is a prosperous wonderland in full technicolor bloom, and Maddie is dazzled by the bustle of the crisply uniformed female factory workers, the palatial homes, and, most of all, her aunt’s glossiest clientele: the wives of the powerful tobacco executives.
But she soon learns that Bright Leaf isn’t quite the carefree paradise that it seems. A trail of misfortune follows many of the women, including substantial health problems, and although Maddie is quick to believe that this is a coincidence, she inadvertently uncovers evidence that suggests otherwise.
Maddie wants to report what she knows, but in a town where everyone depends on Big Tobacco to survive, she doesn’t know who she can trust—and fears that exposing the truth may destroy the lives of the proud, strong women with whom she has forged strong bonds.
Shedding light on the hidden history of women’s activism during the post-war period, at its heart, The Tobacco Wives is a deeply human, emotionally satisfying, and dramatic novel about the power of female connection and the importance of seeking truth.
Thursday, April 11, 2024
*Review* The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold, the color of impurity–and Deka knows she will face a consequence worse than death.
Then a mysterious woman comes to her with a choice: stay in the village and submit to her fate, or leave to fight for the emperor in an army of girls just like her. They are called alaki–near-immortals with rare gifts. And they are the only ones who can stop the empire's greatest threat.
Knowing the dangers that lie ahead yet yearning for acceptance, Deka decides to leave the only life she's ever known. But as she journeys to the capital to train for the biggest battle of her life, she will discover that the great walled city holds many surprises. Nothing and no one are quite what they seem to be–not even Deka herself.
The start of a bold and immersive fantasy series for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Panther.
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
*Review* The Immortal Detective by D. B. Woodling
Sometimes being immortal makes you wish you were dead.
Celeste Crenshaw has survived her parents’ grisly murders, grueling and gender-biased police training, a battle with rogue vampires, and even her own death. While immortality might seem a dream come true, can she accept the strings attached?
Celeste spends the start of her immortal life being mentored by the Elders of the Hollow Earth. They release her once they feel certain Celeste has honed her supernatural powers. But little do they know, Celeste isn’t wholly committed to granting eternal life to those deserving. Upon a return home to her immortal lover, and the Kansas City Detective Squad, she battles mortal foes, not so unlike the demonic undead. And when a fellow detective falls victim to a murderous gang member, Celeste faces a gut-wrenching decision and the possible wrath of the Elders.
Once the allure of impersonating celebrities began to wane, D. B. Woodling left the stage and turned her attention to writing. Credited with two historical fiction novels, she then switched genres and wrote The Detective Mike Malone series.
Needing a home for an ominous opening line, The Immortal Twin, a paranormal novel, soon began to take shape. Three-headed dragons, undead historical mentors, and police investigations abound in The Immortal Detective, the second installment in Celeste's journey, with plenty of chilling twists and turns.
When she's not creating harrowing fight scenes, steamy encounters, or complex police investigations, Woodling calms her soul with scenic walks, often in the company of a clowder of cats or a know-it-all golden retriever.
Her passion for unputdownable page-turners extends to the well-being of all animals. As a tribute to her beloved Labrador retriever, Annie, she donates a large percentage of her book royalties to "Annie's Gift," a cause benefiting No-Kill Animal Shelters, nationwide.
*Review* Wings Once Cursed and Bound by Piper J. Drake
My wings unbound, I am the Thai bird princess, the kinnaree, and no matter the cost, I will be free.
Peeraphan Rahttana lives her life in Seattle, unaware of the complicated magical world spinning just beyond the shadows and mist…until a violent clash outside her dance rehearsal has her literally whisked off her feet. Her darkly brooding rescuer, vampire Bennett Andrews, claims to represent a secret organization dedicated to locating objects of myth and magic, tucking them safely away where they can do no harm—but he's too late to save Peeraphan from a deadly curse.
Yet Peeraphan isn't what she seems. Wings unbound, she's a Thai bird princess of legend...and while the curse won't kill her outright, it's only a matter of time. Determined, Bennett sweeps Peeraphan deeper into a supernatural world far beyond anything she ever imagined in a desperate bid to find a solution...and an explanation for the powers even she doesn't know how to define.
Her world may have changed overnight, but Peeraphan knows one thing for certain: she can't go back to living as a human anymore. Not when she's felt what it's like to fly with Bennett by her side. She's determined to keep her wings and her freedom…and defy anyone who would try to take them from her again.
What would you save if the world you knew disappeared and you could open your eyes to what exists just beyond?
Saturday, April 6, 2024
*Review* The Christmas Keeper by Jenn McKinlay
All he wants for Christmas…
The second Joaquin Solis saw Savannah Wilson, he knew she was destined to be his wife. Unfortunately, Savannah’s sights are set on a happily-ever-after of another kind: skewering the boss who got her fired. Until then, she won’t act on the scorching sexual chemistry that is brewing between them, leaving Joaquin scrambling to find a way to capture her heart.
When the opportunity arises to use his ranch to boost Savannah's publicity career, Joaquin doesn’t hesitate to invite her into his world at Shadow Pines and woo her with all of his Christmas loving mojo. It’s a gamble since the holidays aren’t really Savannah's thing and helping her might also mean losing her as she plans to shake the dust off of their quaint town in North Carolina and head back to New York City the first chance she gets.
But Joaquin believes in the magic of Christmas and he knows with a little help from his friends at the Happily Ever After Bookstore, he can convince the woman of his dreams that he’s a keeper…
Jenn is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author of several mystery and romance series. She is also the winner of the RT Reviewer's Choice Award for romantic comedy and the Fresh Fiction award for best cozy mystery. A TEDx speaker, she is always happy to talk books, writing, reading, and the creative process to anyone who cares to listen. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets, and her husband's guitars.
Visit her website at: www.jennmckinlay.com
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