Book Reviews

We love books.  Hoarding might come to mind when you see our playroom and office stacked with books, but I have decided there are worse things to collect than stories we adore.  We are sharing/reviewing our favorite books here:

NEW BOOKS

My nine year old and I have been listening to The Confidence Code for girls on Audible.  I read the adult version years ago and the girls version really hit the mark.  She enjoyed it so much she begged for the accompanying journal.  How serendipitous that as we were reading a new book by the authors was released!  I can not tell you home important I feel this book is, for women of all ages.  It is a fun read and can literally change your life.

Living the Confidence Code is a followup to bestselling phenomenon The Confidence Code For Girls, which spent twenty-eight weeks on the New York Times middle grade bestseller list in 2018.

Living the Confidence Code builds on the skills that The Confidence Code for Girls taught teens and tweens, to take risks, move past self-doubt, and learn from failure. It shares stories of remarkable girls who have done just that, and achieved their goals, from starting NGOs to leading anti-bullying campaigns to pushing for equality in sports, education, and more. The book can help parents and girls learn more about these inspiring role models, and how every girl can become more confident and achieve her goals.

Through confidence-boosting advice and the stories of real-life Girls of Action featured in Living the Confidence Code, authors Katty Kay, Claire Shipman and JillEllyn Riley empower the next generation of young women to make a difference in the world. Readers will come away with the skills and inspiration to live out their own passions and make an impact in their own unique way.

Mom & Me, an Interactive Journal to lean more about each other 

A journal that is really more of a conversation than anything else, the Mom & Me journal is for mother-child duos looking to get to know each other better.  Below is a sample page to give you an idea of how it works.

A stress-free way to communicate your odd quirks, the Mom & Me journal encourages a deeper sense of connection between mother and child. Every mom is terribly curious about what goes on in her kid’s head—what they like and dislike, what their dreams are, and how they want to reach those dreams. Kids want to know what their mom’s favorite things are, what parts of their life were most memorable, and what their mom was like at their age. Were they always the maternal figure they see now? Or have we all gotten a bit of wildness from our mothers?

Less than $10!

Life and Other Shortcomings

Life and Other Shortcomings is a collection of linked short stories that takes the reader from New Orleans to New York City to Madrid, and from 1970 to the present day. The women in these twelve stories make a number of different choices: some work, others don’t; some stay married, some get divorced; others never marry at all. Through each character’s intimate journey, specific truths are revealed about what it means to be a woman―in relationship with another person, in a particular culture and era―and how these conditions ultimately affect her relationship with herself. The stories as a whole depict patriarchy, showing what still might be, but certainly what was, for some women in this country before the #MeToo movement. Both a cautionary tale and a captivating window into women’s lives, Life and Other Shortcomings is required reading for anyone interested in an honest, incisive, and compelling portrayal of the female experience.

Grounds for Murder  

Florida Author Tara Lush has a new book out – and its a great beach read.  Florida, mystery, romance, and coffee are woven into a can’t put down read.

Title: A Palm Beach Scandal

From the author of A Palm Beach Wife(Susannah Marren is the pen name for Susan Shapiro Barash), comes a new book set in the exclusive, glamorous world of Palm Beach. In A PALM BEACH SCANDAL (St. Martin’s Griffin), Marren follows two sisters as one offers the ultimate selfless act to the other, proving the very meaning of family, in a story of artifice and intrigue.

Veronica and Simon Cutler and their dazzling adult daughters, Elodie and Aubrey, strike an enviable pose, the ultimate Palm Beach family. In a town where social aspirations, wealth and charm prevail, they are transcendent. While the sisters are polar opposites, they are fiercely loyal to each other. When Elodie receives the shocking news that she is no longer able to conceive a baby, she turns to her sister and it all begins….  Great beach read!

Title:  Completely Me

Review: Local author Dr. Justine Green shares her TRUE story in this heartwarming tale.

Completely Me is a story about a little girl who never noticed there was something different about herself until others pointed it out. When she decides to stand up for herself, she teaches the townspeople an important lesson about acceptance. The book’s main character is based on the author’s own life and experience with two medical conditions: Atresia and Microtia. Microtia is a condition where the outer ear does not develop properly and Atresia is the absence of the ear canal, which left Dr. Green deaf in her left ear.

We have read and reread this book, and I don’t mind a bit.

Title: The Mountain And The Goat

Review: The Mountain and the Goat is a modern-day children’s fable designed to plant the seed of resourcefulness and take-action mentality in children.  All ages enjoy the simple changes you can imagine that would change each page thereafter.  Natural consequences- good and not so good are  worked through in a fun safe way.

Title: The Life and Times of Fuzzy Wuzzy

Review:  This is a timeless story of a beloved bear born without any hair. This book teaches children the importance of being kind and loving and that it’s not what you look like that is important. A great life begins with love for everyone and everything around you.  My 6 year old loves reading this all by herself!

Title:  Think Big

Review: Texas Mom Kat Kronenberg is an award-winning children’s author whose powerful picture books – Dream Big and Love Big were the first two, with Think Big released this May – were born out of a desire to help children who are overcoming obstacles by offering encouragement and tools for resilience.

The beautifully illustrated Think Big follows a moody baboon as he faces the challenge of a lifetime: the African savanna he and all of the other animals call home is facing a life-threatening drought. By using his own gifts, the power of his BIG ideas, and good decision making, can baboon set an example that will inspire the rest of his friends to work together in the best interest of their collective future?

We love how it address talk about how we can all pitch in and help when faced with a challenge
and train children to replace fear and anxiety with empowerment.

Title: Dark Agents: Violet and the Trial of Trauma

Review: My 8 year old could not put this down.  It was written by leading clinical psychologist and award-winning author Janina Scarlet. Janina suffered trauma as a child when she was exposed to Chernobyl radiation, before arriving in the US as a refugee. She is determined to help young people suffering from trauma.  This is a ground-breaking graphic novel helps teens & young adults conquer their internal monsters.  Get yours here.

Title: Chester Chipmunk Will NOT Sleep

Review: New bedtime favorite.  Heartwarming and wondrous this tale reminds little ones about the magical places you can go in your dreams.  So go ahead and nod off to rest sweet one.

Title: The Book Of Awesome Women Boundary Breakers, Freedom Fighters, SHeros & Female Firsts

Author: Becca Anderson

Review: My kids love the rebel girls stories.  Reading them and listening to the podcasts.  This book digs a little deeper while still being easily digestible by a 9 year old.  Did you know a woman write the first algorithm?  Did you know a secret crew of Russian female pilots in wooden planes risked their lives every night to fight the Nazis?  We say Bravo brave women.  Great for reading together so you can really discuss.  Some topics slide a little older (like mentioning someone taking acid) so I would read ahead and decide what was best to read.  Get yours here.

Title: The Adventure Challenge: Family Edition

Review: This got us through the Covid 19 lockdown.  We loved our family challenges.  Simply pick a page, scratch off the activity description and enjoy.  All of our family was able to participate in everything we have done so far (youngest age 4) and the maximum cost is $50 per activity.  You can see the budget and time frame before you scratch the rest off.  Once you scratch its go time!  Then snap a photo and put it in the book in the designated place.  YOU JUST MADE A MEMORY.  You only get so much time with these kiddos, let’s make the most of the moments.  Get yours here.

The Llamacorn Cookbook

by Barbara Beery

Rainbow, unicorn goodness.  Enchanted unicorn horns, baked snowflakes, pink and white star bites oh my!  Easy to follow with easy modifications for food allergies.  The kids had a blast making goodies and sharing them with neighbors and friends.  Get yours here.

Mental health therapist, mom, and author of the The Not-So-Friendly Friend, Christina Furnival offers parents how to teach their children healthy boundaries to set them up for long-term success.

The book covers important and hard to teach topics as such:

3 tools to teach our children healthy boundaries for fulfilling friendships

Understanding the different types of boundaries—physical, emotional, intellectual, etc.

The dangers of not establishing boundaries

Mental health tools to teach your children when they are faced with a bull.  We can all use a read!

Say it with me, oh I do love this book.  A mothers love, the power of words…  woven into the sweetest tale.  In English and Spanish.

Get your copy here.

Brave Adventures 

by Coyote Peterson

This is the perfect escape for curious explorers.  This #1 best seller is all about wild animals in a wild world.  We loved the chapter on the Everglades.  My 9 year old read on her own and we read as a group for story time.    Good for So many places we want to see now from Costa Rica to Alaska and everywhere in between.

Books for new parents and parents to be