Monday, 12 August 2019

Mailbox Monday - August 12th


Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog. Head over and check out other books received during the last week. 


Happy Monday!

I haven't managed to post pictures of my book mail for the last few weeks because I have been extra busy with family and trying to squeeze in some reading time.
I visited my sister in sunny Queensland recently to attend my brother's 60th birthday celebrations. Flew up Friday with my daughter, mother, brother and sister-in-law and we all stayed in my sister's sprawling sandstone home.  I had the best weekend and it was so wonderful to have the whole family together, not just for a few hours but a whole weekend. We did lots of reminiscing and had plenty of laughs.






My grandson spent a night in hospital with a nasty chest infection. I was imagining him lying in a hospital bed sick and upset. How wrong could I be! My daughter-in-law sent me a photo he was happily sitting on the bed shooting everyone with his Ventolin inhaler. Later that day he was sitting at the nurses station watching cartoons on the computer. He is back to perfect health and definitely not traumatised by his hospital stay. 


Books  received during the past two weeks.


Received from the publisher

The Quest Diaries of Max Crack by Jules Faber
Publication date: 27th August 2019


Hi everyone! I'm Max Crack and this awesome book is all about me and my quests and my best friend Frankie!

Buried treasure, new school, doodles, peanut butter and honey toast, best friends, horrible blobs, mysteries, Meddlyslop, spelling bees (hard words, harder words), more doodles, comics, World War Undies ... this book has it ALL. 
 
 
The Girls by Chloe Higgins
Publication date: 27th August 2019
 
In 2005, Chloe Higgins was seventeen years old. She and her mother, Rhonda, stayed home so that she could revise for her HSC exams while her two younger sisters, Carlie and Lisa, went skiing with their father. On the way back from their trip, their car veered off the highway, flipped on its side and burst into flames. Both her sisters were killed. Their father walked away from the accident with only minor injuries.

This book is about what happened next.
 
 
Snake Island by Ben Hobson
Publication date: 5th August 2019
 
Vernon and Penelope Moore never want to see their son Caleb again. Not after he hit his wife and ended up in gaol. A lifetime of careful parental love wiped out in a moment.

But when retired teacher Vernon hears that Caleb is being regularly visited and savagely bashed by a local criminal as the police stand by, he knows he has to act. What has his life been as a father if he turns his back on his son in his hour of desperate need? He realises with shame that he has failed Caleb. But no longer.

The father of the man bashing Caleb is head of a violent crime family. The town lives in fear of him but Vernon is determined to fix things in a civilised way, father to father. If he shows respect, he reasons, it will be reciprocated. But how wrong he is.
 
And what hell has he brought down on his family? 
 
A gift from my sister:
 
One Summer in Paris by Sarah Morgan 
Publication date: 9th April 2019 
 
To celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, Grace has planned the surprise of a lifetime for her husband—a romantic getaway to Paris. But she never expected he’d have a surprise of his own: he wants a divorce. Reeling from the shock but refusing to be broken, a devastated Grace makes the bold decision to go to Paris alone.

Audrey, a young woman from London, has left behind a heartache of her own when she arrives in Paris. A job in a bookshop is her ticket to freedom, but with no money and no knowledge of the French language, suddenly a summer spent wandering the cobbled streets alone seems much more likely…until she meets Grace, and everything changes.

Grace can’t believe how daring Audrey is. Audrey can’t believe how cautious newly single Grace is. Living in neighboring apartments above the bookshop, this unlikely pair offer each other just what they’ve both been missing. They came to Paris to find themselves, but finding this unbreakable friendship might be the best thing that’s ever happened to them…
 
 
 
 
What Books did your postman deliver, or you downloaded, this week?

Post a link to your Mailbox Monday or simply list your books in the comments below.
 


Sunday, 11 August 2019

Book Review: The Spanish Promise by Karen Swan

The Spanish Promise
by
Karen Swan

Publisher: Pan Macmillan 
Publication Date: 26th March 2019
Pages: 384
RRP: $29.99AUD
Format read: Trade Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher 



Charlotte, a wealth counsellor who knows from personal experience the complications that a sudden inheritance can bring, helps her clients navigate the emotional side effects of sudden wealth syndrome. When she is asked by Mateo Mendoza, heir to a huge Spanish estate, to fly to Madrid to help resolve an issue in his father's will, she's confident it will be straightforward. The timing isn't great as Charlotte's due to get married the following week, but once her client signs on the dotted line, Charlotte can return to her life in London and her wedding, and live happily ever after. Marrying Stephen might not fill her with excitement, but she doesn't want to live in the fast lane anymore - safe and predictable is good.

But Carlos Mendoza's final bequest opens up a generation of secrets, and Charlotte finds herself compelled to unravel the mystery. As Charlotte digs deeper, she uncovers the story of a family divided by Spain's Civil War, and of a love affair across the battle lines that ended in tragedy.

And while she is consumed in the drama of the Mendozas, Charlotte's own tragic past catches up with her, threatening to overturn everything in her life she's worked so hard to build.




2018

Multi millionaire Carlos Mendoza is gravely ill and requests all his money and property goes to Marina Quincy. The family haven't heard of this woman and assume she is a mistress.
With only a week to her wedding Charlotte, a wealth councillor, is sent by the Mendoza family’s bank to Spain to find Marina Quincy and offer her a settlement.

1836
Nene Mendoza runs away from her high profile family to join the revolutionists, the people fighting against her family.

The Spanish Promise is a dual time-line story moving from 2018 to 1937.
I loved the historical part of the novel which encompasses the Spanish Civil War. Nene is from a well to do family and being a female her life is very restricted. Nene has a social conscience but she is pushed aside, told to be quiet and ridiculed. She eventually escapes her family to fight for what she feels is right.
The modern day side of the story held me with its mystery. Who was Marina Quincy and how did she connect with the ageing Carlos Mendoza? The story had some great twists that I hadn’t seen coming.

I didn’t particularly like Charlotte or her love interest Nathan. She was a grown woman, and engaged to someone else, mooning over Nathan like a love-sick teenager. Nathan was also unlikeable and the way he treated Charlotte was unforgiveable. That aside, I enjoyed the story it pulled me in, the continuing mystery kept me reading and the twists had me shocked.

The Spanish Promise is an epic tale of love, war, forgiveness and reconciliation.
I am eagerly looking forward to Karen Swan’s next release.


                                 🌟🌟🌟🌟 
My rating  4/5



 

Photo credit : Goodreads
Karen Swan began her career in fashion journalism before giving it all up to raise her three children and a puppy, and to pursue her ambition of becoming a writer. 

Her bestselling novels include the summer romances The Paris Secret and The Rome Affair. 
 
She lives in the forest in Sussex, writing her books in a treehouse overlooking the Downs.









 

Sunday, 4 August 2019

Storybook Corner Review & Giveaway: Don't Drink the Pink (Children's Picture Book)


Don't Drink the Pink
by
B.C.R. Fegan
Illustrated by Lenny Wen


Publisher: TaleBlade Press 
Publication date: 1st August 2019
Pages: 40
Format Read: eBook
Source: Courtesy of the publisher


Madeline adores her Grandpa Gilderberry – she always has. To everyone else he might seem a bit strange – an eccentric inventor – perhaps even a little mad. Yet Madeline knows that these are his very best qualities.

One of Grandpa Gilderberry’s most secret inventions is his box of potions which he delights in giving to Madeline each year on her birthday. Each potion conveys an unexpected and magical experience for Madeline. Year after year, Madeline selects a new potion with exciting results, however each time she reaches for her enchanted birthday present, her grandfather reminds her of only one rule – ‘don’t drink the pink’.

Follow the special relationship between Madeline and her Grandfather as they both grow and share in the most magical birthday experiences. Filled with secrets to uncover and brimming with imagination, Don't Drink the Pink explores a number of basic concepts including colors, numbers and the reality of growing older.

 

Madeline loves her Grandfather Gilderberry. They have a close relationship.

Dad thinks he’s crazy
Mom thinks he’s just old
But I think he’s amazing
And worth his weight in gold.

Every birthday since her very first birthday Madeline’s Grandfather has arrived with a box of potions. Madeline gets to choose a colour, but always with the rule ‘just don’t drink the pink.’
As each year passes wonderful magical things happen when Madeline drinks each potion.

This is an absolutely enjoyable and magical book. The story is told in rhyming verse with a fun repetition that the children quickly learn to join in with.

“Happy Birthday Madeline.”
He said with a wink
“Take a potion, take a brew
Just don’t drink the pink.”

We loved Don’t Ever Look Behind Door 32 and BCR Fegan has given his audience another delightful picture book that builds on the anticipation of what will be revealed at the end.
As each birthday came around Dot and I tried to guess what colour potion Madeline would pick and what magical quality she would receive. Flying, strength, invisibility, controlling the weather and super speed are just a few of the magical elements in this story.

Don’t Drink the Pink develops a child’s imagination and colour recognition. It has a major, but subtle, theme of ageing. As Madeline gets older so does her beloved Grandpa. Until one birthday Grandpa is no longer there. Madeline has one potion left. What will the magical pink potion do?

Lenny Wen’s whimsical illustrations add spots of humour that need no words. Madeline’s cute little white cat makes an appearance on each page and the expressions on Madeline’s mother’s and father’s faces as each potion is consumed are not to be missed.
Don’t Drink the Pink is another addition to Dot’s all-time favourite books. Her favourite parts were when Madeline turned into a mermaid and when she built a theme park with her mind.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
 rated by Dot 5/5
 
About the author

B.C.R. Fegan is an award-winning author who has written a number of fairy tales and fantasies for children and young adults.
Raised on a small hobby farm only minutes from some of Australia’s greatest beaches, Fegan grew up inspired by the power of natures ambience. His ravenous appetite for both reading and writing soon saw him drawing on the transformational influence of the world around him to craft short stories, poems and picture books.
As time wore on, Fegan also found inspiration in the magic and depth of authors and compositors like Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault. He was mesmerised by the potency of small but beautiful phrases that were carefully carved from the minds of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Alfred Lord Tennyson and Robert Frost. He grew to appreciate the worlds meticulously created by David Eddings, JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis.
Eventually, he began to forge his own complete works. Weaving his own magic, piecing together his own phrases and crafting his own worlds. Agonising over plots that would inspire, characters that would be loved and circumstances that would delight. In time, his efforts saw a number of children’s books and young adult fiction produced. 
  

About the illustrator

Lenny Wen is a freelance illustrator from Jakarta, Indonesia. She started her professional illustration career in 2013. Most of her illustrations possess a mixture of storytelling and emotions. Her works can be found in  children’s books, mobile games, and advertisements. She is very passionate about illustration and storytelling. When she is not illustrating, she might be found watching movies, reading books or watching the online cooking channel.  
 


Thanks to TaleBlade Press you can win a paperback copy of Don’t Drink the Pink. Entry is open internationally via the form below and closes on 14th August 2019.

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was - Katiria.

Saturday, 3 August 2019

Book Bingo - Round 16 #BookBingo

Book Bingo is a reading challenge hosted by Theresa Smith Writes , Mrs B’s Book Reviews and The Book Muse. Every second Saturday, book bingo participants reveal which bingo category they have read and what book they chose. 

This week I have chosen the category 'Memoir about a non-famous person '.



Memoir about a non-famous person.

For this category I have chosen 'Wish You Were Here' by Sheridan Jobbins

After the devastating end to her marriage Sheridan decides to drive across America in a shiny red sports car. Heartbroken and unprepared she is determined to find herself.
I enjoyed Sheridan's story of love, loss and finding herself. It was fun to be on the journey with her and such a joy to know she found her happy ending.  

You can read my full review of Wish You Were Here HERE 


 #BookBingo2019