Book Date: From Twinkle, With Love

Hi Everyone! 

It is a Book Date Monday and this means continuing the Dimple and Rishi series. I am so excited to pick this one up! 

Author: Sandhya Menon
 
Summary from Amazon:
“Utterly charming.” —NPR

“Cinematic.” —Teen Vogue
“Funny and sweet.” —Buzzfeed
“Dazzling.” —Bustle

Three starred reviews for this charming romantic comedy about an aspiring teen filmmaker who finds her voice and falls in love, from the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi.

Aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell and universes she wants to explore, if only the world would listen. So when fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie for the upcoming Summer Festival, Twinkle is all over it. The chance to publicly showcase her voice as a director? Dream come true. The fact that it gets her closer to her longtime crush, Neil Roy—a.k.a. Sahil’s twin brother? Dream come true x 2.
 

Have you read this one? What did you think?

Happy Reading!

Stacking the Shelves

Hi Everyone! 

Just stopping by to let you know about a book that I was fortunate to receive an ARC of. I am really looking forward to reading this one! 

Author: Gwen Strauss
 
Summary from Amazon:
"Utterly gripping." —Anne Sebba, author of Les Parisiennes

"A compelling, beautifully written story of resilience, friendship and survival. The story of Women’s resistance during World War II needs to be told and The Nine accomplishes this in spades." —Heather Morris, New York Times bestselling author of Cilka's Journey

The Nine follows the true story of the author’s great aunt Hélène Podliasky, who led a band of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labor camp and made a ten-day journey across the front lines of WWII from Germany back to Paris.

The nine women were all under thirty when they joined the resistance. They smuggled arms through Europe, harbored parachuting agents, coordinated communications between regional sectors, trekked escape routes to Spain and hid Jewish children in scattered apartments. They were arrested by French police, interrogated and tortured by the Gestapo. They were subjected to a series of French prisons and deported to Germany. The group formed along the way, meeting at different points, in prison, in transit, and at Ravensbrück. By the time they were enslaved at the labor camp in Leipzig, they were a close-knit group of friends. During the final days of the war, forced onto a death march, the nine chose their moment and made a daring escape.

Drawing on incredible research, this powerful, heart-stopping narrative is a moving tribute to the power of humanity and friendship in the darkest of times.
 

Happy Reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: If The Shoe Fits

Good morning everyone! 

Just stopping by to let you know about a book that I am currently Waiting On. 

Author: Julie Murphy
 
Summary from Goodreads:
After having just graduated with a degree in shoe design, and trying to get her feet on the ground, Cindy is working for her stepmother, who happens to be the executive producer of America's favorite reality show, Before Midnight. When a spot on the show needs filling ASAP, Cindy volunteers, hoping it might help jump-start her fashion career, or at least give her something to do while her peers land jobs in the world of high fashion.

Turns out being the only plus size woman on a reality dating competition makes a splash, and soon Cindy becomes a body positivity icon for women everywhere. What she doesn't expect? That she may just find inspiration-and love-in the process. Ultimately, Cindy learns that if the shoe doesn't fit, maybe it's time to design your own

Will you be checking this one out?
 

Happy Reading!

Book Date: The Authenticity Project

Happy Monday! 

It's time for another book date...this my selection for today: The Authenticity Project. 

Author: Clare Pooley
 
Summary:
"A story about a solitary green notebook that brings together six strangers and leads to an unexpected friendship, and even love--think Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine meets Love, Actually "Everybody lies about their lives. What would happen if you shared the truth?" This is the question that Julian Jessop, an eccentric, seventy-nine-year-old artist, poses within a pale green exercise book that he labels The Authenticity Project, before leaving it behind in Monica's Café. When Monica discovers Julian's abandoned notebook, not only does she add her own story to the book, she is determined to find a way to help Julian feel less lonely. And so it goes with the others who find the green notebook that will soon contain their deepest selves. It will also knit the group together In Real Life at Monica's Cafe, where they'll discover the thrill and sometime-risk of being completely honest--and, for some, find unexpected love. With a cast of characters who are by turns quirky and funny, heartbreakingly sad and painfully true-to-life, The Authenticity Project is a novel reader will take to their hearts and read with unabashed pleasure"-- Provided by publisher.

Have you read this one?

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Spirit of Animal Healing

Author: Dr. Marty Goldstein
 
Summary from Amazon:
The Spirit of Animal Healing is the follow up to Dr. Marty Goldstein's bestselling book on holistic veterinary medicine, The Nature of Animal Healing.

It is chock full of the very latest integrative medical knowledge (which combines conventional therapies with complementary and alternative medicine). Coupled with the vast amount of specialized expertise and learning Dr. Marty has gained from his own practice over the past 45 years, the book takes readers on a journey to the leading edge of integrative veterinary understanding to achieve greater insight into the minds and bodies of their animal companions.

However, this book is not simply a new edition of Dr. Marty's first book with some refreshed content. It is a completely new book in which Dr. Marty turns the traditional approach to animal care upside down. The Spirit of Animal Healing provides readers with the most up to-date tools and knowledge they need to keep their dogs and cats healthy and prevent disease from occurring in the first place, instead of just treating their animal companions when they are sick.

Topics covered include:
*Nutrition and supplements
*Integrative remedies and harmful treatments
*Cutting edge therapies
*The truth about vaccinations
*The latest in cancer treatments
*The spiritual nature of animals
*True, mind-blowing cases from over the years
-And much more!

Personal Review:
The cover was what drew me into this book. Anyone who knows me, knows I am always up for the healing power of animals' stories. This one was very detailed and much more than what I could have imagined. I enjoyed reading it.

 Disclaimer: I was awarded this book through NetGalley. Though I did not pay for the book, the opinions are strictly my own.

Happy Reading!

Down the TBR Hole

 Down the TBR Hole

Created by: Lia at Lost in a Story

Currently active at: Zezee With Books

Description: A meme where we decide whether to keep or remove books on our TBR. The rules: Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf. Order on ascending date added. Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Read the synopses of the books. Decide: keep it or should it go?

Here are my five:

And I would still want to read all of them...so I guess I am keeping them! :) 

Happy Reading!

Singing Out Loud

Happy Mardi Gras! This one seemed to fit the bill so I hope that you all enjoy! :) I am still in process of reading it myself.

Author: Marilee Evans
 
Summary from Amazon:
Born during World War II, Marilee Eaves has long struggled to fit into the New Orleans elite―secret Mardi Gras societies that ruled the city―into which she was born. Then, as a student at Wellesley, she’s hospitalized at McLean psychiatric hospital, where she begins to realize how much of herself she’s sacrificed to blend into and be fully accepted by the exclusive and exclusionary white Uptown New Orleans culture to which she supposedly belongs.

In Singing Out Loud, Eaves tells of her journey to stand on her own two feet―to find a way to be grounded and evolved in the midst of that culture. Along the way, she wrestles with bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and the effects of her bad (heartbreaking, and sometimes hilarious) choices. Raw and funny, this book offers hope and encouragement to those willing to be vulnerable, address their issues, and laugh at themself in order to embrace who they truly are.

 

Happy Reading!

Valentine's Day!

 

Happy Reading!

Golden Girls Readathon

Hey Everyone! 

Just stopping by to let you know about a fun event coming! 

12-15 Feb | #GoldenGirlsReadathon: Galentine's Weekend

@GoldenGirlsRead

A casual watch/readathon with prompts inspired by episodes from season one.

Website: https://bit.ly/3obBjQr

Happy Reading!

Bookish Humor

Sometimes life happens and you don't get a chance to post the post you planned. I had planned to do a TTT for the freebie love theme. But I did not get a chance, so instead, you get a small snippet of something I do love...to laugh.

A comic for you:

 

Happy Reading!

Bookish Bingo: February!

Hi Everyone! 

We have a snow storm coming, so sounds like a perfect time to curl up with kitten, something warm to drink and a good book :) 

Maybe we can even get a bingo?
 

Happy Reading!

Guest Post with Shail Rajan

Hi Everyone! 

I am excited to bring you a guest post today from author Shail Rajan. I had a chance to ask about the inspiration behind The Summer Breeze. Please help me in giving a warm welcome! 

I’m always fascinated by people who live their lives in a very intentional way. I always aim to live that way, and yet somehow, find myself often stumbling into things that change the course of my life. I rarely seem to take an intentional first step. Rather, an event nudges (sometimes shoves) me onto a path. But once I’m on that unintentional path, I am a master at making it my own. Before I realize it, I’m often skipping down that path like a happy child on a sunny day.

When I was in my early 20s, I told a friend I wanted to become a storyteller. I can’t recall what made me say it or why I chose that particular moment to blurt it out, but I do know that I did absolutely nothing to take a step towards that goal. Fast forward almost a decade when I found myself daydreaming at work about a character that popped into my mind. During my lunch break that day, I decided to type up some of the things I had been thinking. I never intentionally set out to write a book; I was bored at work and there was a laptop in front.

I ended up developing characters in my mind and typing up notes for many weeks, which turned into months. Whenever I had some down time, I’d open the word file and add to it. Writing a story became the natural consequence of having created all these characters who needed something to do!

One day, as I was typing away, my office mate asked me what I was working on. I thought about lying but then reconsidered and told her the truth. She expressed her amazement and then promptly refocused on whatever she had been working on. About a month later, she gave me a gift: a bookmark on which she had written “Go ahead Shail, chase those dreams!”

I did the exact opposite. I got busy with a project at work, a new baby at home, and all the other things life throws at you. And would you believe another 15 years went by? I was a busy stay-at-home mother of three wonderful children and the president of a non-profit. One afternoon, I was cleaning out my nightstand and found a bookmark under a pile of books. It reminded me to chase my dreams. So, I finally did. And now here I am, skipping down this path as happy as a child on a sunny day.

The Summer Breeze by Shail Rajan – Synopsis:

Tired of her fast-paced life in New York City, Callie leaves it all behind to embark on an adventure that will bring her to a new town, a new home, a new career, and possibly, a new love.

Callie Williams loved the quaint upstate region of New York State where she grew up but left it behind to pursue her career in the Big Apple. After years of working long hours and climbing the corporate ladder, she finds herself unhappily engaged to a powerful politician’s son. All that changes in an unexpected instant and upends life as she knows it. Unsure of what to do, Callie finds herself back in her hometown, back in her childhood bedroom.

Surrounded by her family and the countryside she loves, Callie is more relaxed than she has been in years, yet she feels restless. She yearns to find a place for herself – a new career, a home of her own. A life changing idea presents itself, and Callie decides it is time to take the leap. She soon finds herself the owner of a new business and knee deep in a major home renovation. But that’s not all she finds…. 

 More information on contacting Shail:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/shailrajanauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shailrajanauthor/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shailrajanauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShailRajan

Website: https://www.shailrajan.com/

Happy Reading!