Dream It & Do It by Holly Sharp #Spotlight #Giveaway

 

Book Description: Dream It & Do It introduces children to a wide range of career possibilities at a young age. Readers will explore 100 stories featuring 100 role models, each one showcasing a different career choice. Dream It & Do It was recently awarded a coveted Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Review from the largest fully-accredited book review platform, 1st place for short stories (Royal Dragonfly Book Award) and a Gold Mom’s Choice Award. Readers will continued to be inspired through the coordinating Activity Book wherein 100+ activities teach your child about today’s career paths. Book can be purchased as a full collection or in 3 individual volumes. Find the paperback version on Amazon.com and hardcover on dreamitandoit.com. Buy the Book Amazon.com  Meet the Author: Sharp spent the bulk of her career in new product development—dreaming up intuitive ideas from how to kill bugs to new ice cream forms to hit grocery shelves. A self-proclaimed problem-solver, she loves to think about the things that the world needs and figuring out how to make those things come to life. “Knowing in high school what I wanted to do with my life set me up for the right path. I wanted the same for my child and searched for books to guide her, but came up short,” Sharp said. “That’s when I thought, ‘why not write the book for my child that she needs and that will also help others?” connect with the author: website ~ facebook Tour Schedule: Jan 6 – Cover Lover Book Review – book review / giveaway Jan 6 - Splashes of Joy – book review / guest post / giveaway Jan 7 –My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews – book review / guest post Jan 7 - Chit Chat With Charity – book review / author interview / giveaway Jan 8 –Rockin' Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway Jan 8 - Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway Jan 12 – A Mama's Corner of the World – book review / giveaway Jan 13 – The Momma Spot – book review / giveaway Jan 13 - Adventures of a Travelers Wife – book review / author interview / giveaway Jan 14 – Ice Fairy's Treasure Chest – book review / giveaway Jan 14 - The Phantom Paragrapher – book spotlight Jan 15 – Writer with Wanderlust – book review / guest post / giveaway Jan 15 –We've Got Pockets – book review Jan 18 – Books, Tea, Healthy Me – book review / author interview / giveaway Jan 19 – Books and Zebras @jypsylynn – book review Jan 19 - The Bespectacled Mother – book review Jan 20 –Lisa's Reading – book review / giveaway Jan 20 - Stephanie Jane – book spotlight - giveaway Jan 21 – Because I said so -- and other adventures in Parenting – book review / guest post / giveaway Jan 21 - Reading Authors Network -spotlight / giveaway Jan 22 – One Frugal Girl – book review / giveaway GIVEAWAY: FOUND HERE

Weekend Pass by Paul Cavanagh #newrelease #literary #fiction #giveaway

 

Category:  Adult Fiction (18 yrs +),  210 pages

Genre: Literary

Publisher:  Not That London Writer

Release date:   Jan 19, 2021

Content Rating:  PG-13 + M. Includes some f-words, religious profanities, and mature themes (addiction, adultery)

---

Book Description:

Who can forgive a mother who poisons her eight-year-old son? Even if it was an accident. Tasha thought she had everything under control – her family life, her career as a nurse – until her son got into her stash of painkillers. Now, during her first weekend home from drug treatment, she must come to grips with the damage she’s done and somehow pick up the pieces. Told from the points of view of four different family members, Weekend Pass is a story about the lies we tell ourselves and the people we love. And it’s about struggling to rise above the mistakes that threaten to define us.

My Review:

I do caution my readers that this is raw at times and definitely has triggers throughout, which you would expect.

I wanted to read this book because I personally know people who have gone through recovery of addictions and people who have lived with loved ones that are addicted.

This was a page turner that I simply could not put down until I was done. The whole book's scenario happens on a weekend visit home, thus the cover title, after a three-week stent in a recovery program. The realism touches on how family members react to the main character as well as how she deals with her own recovery. It is heart wrenching from both sides and tough to read especially if, like me, you have gone through such things.

I am not sure if the author just did his homework or has experienced addiction in some way, but the book talked about the character going to a recovery place and attending meetings like NA and AA. I like that the author did not try to gloss over the effects of addiction and instead made it in your face what it is. It showed how someone who would normally not do, drugs or alcohol in this case, can easily become addicted. It also showed how family dynamics can be effected before and after addictions. His story unfolded well and is worth the read.

 The only other thing I would like to mention is that I wished (even though I know this is a novel) there had been some resources added to the back of the book.

Overall, 4 stars for a great book.

Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book from the author. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle

BUY THE BOOK:
Available for Pre-Order!
Release Date Jan 19, 2021
Amazon
Add to Goodreads

click on ticket to join the party!

Meet the Author:

Paul Cavanagh is a Canadian author whose debut novel, After Helen, won the Lit Idol competition at the London Book Fair in the UK and was published to rave reviews in the United States, Canada, and the British Isles. He’s been compared to Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Tyler for his ability to be at turns funny and moving while exploring the paradoxes of modern family relationships. He lives in London, Ontario (not be be confused with that other London). Weekend Pass is his third novel.

connect with the author: website ~ facebook 

 

Tour Schedule:

Jan 12 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 12 - Olio by Marilyn – book review / giveaway
Jan 12 - Olio by Marilyn – book spotlight / author interview
Jan 13 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / giveaway
Jan 14 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author Blog – book spotlight / giveaway
Jan 14 - Cheryl's Book Nook – book review / giveaway
Jan 15 – Westveil Publishing – book review / giveaway
Jan 18 – Welcome To MLM Opinions Reviews – book review
Jan 18 - Reading Authors Network – book review / giveaway
Jan 19 – RebeccaReviewedIt – book review / giveaway
Jan 19 - Pick a Good Book – book review / author interview / giveaway
Jan 20 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Jan 20 - Books Beans & Botany – book review / giveaway
Jan 21 – StoreyBook Reviews – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Jan 22 – taketwolu – book review
Jan 22 - Stephanie Jane – book spotlight
Jan 25 – The Bibliophilic World – book review
Jan 25 - Leels Loves Books – book review / giveaway
Jan 26 – Literary Flits – book review / giveaway
Jan 26 - Instagram: All Booked Up Reviews – book spotlight
Jan 27 – I'd Rather Be At The Beach – book review / giveaway
Jan 28 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
Jan 29 – My Fictional Oasis – book review / giveaway
Jan 29 - Sadie's Spotlight – book spotlight
Feb 1 – Corinne Rodrigues – book review / giveaway
Feb 1 - I'm Into Books – book review / giveaway
Feb 1 - Book Corner News and Reviews - book review / giveaway
 

Enter the Giveaway: 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

#Spotlight The Things That Last Forever by Peter W.J. Hayes #Giveaway

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery: Police Procedural
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: August 1, 2020
Number of Pages: 294
ISBN: 978-1-947915-56-5
Series: A Vic Lenoski Mystery; Pittsburgh Trilogy #3 || Each is a Stand Alone Mystery
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Synopsis:

After a house fire hospitalizes his partner and forces him onto medical leave, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police detective Vic Lenoski starts a desperate search for the woman who set the blaze. She is the one person who knows what happened to his missing teenage daughter, but as a fugitive, she’s disappeared so thoroughly no one can find her.

Risking his job and the wrath of the district attorney, Vic resorts to bargaining with criminal suspects for new leads, many of which point to North Dakota. He flies there, only to discover he is far from everything he knows, and his long-cherished definitions of good and bad are fading as quickly as his leads. His only chance is one last audacious roll of the dice. Can he stay alive long enough to discover the whereabouts of his daughter and rebuild his life? Or is everything from his past lost forever?

"The mystery plot itself is riveting...a captivating and emotionally intelligent crime drama." — Kirkus Reviews

Read an excerpt:

Chapter 1

Sometimes you walk into a room and what’s inside changes your life forever. That sense stopped Vic just inside the doorway. A woman with skin the color of dark amber lay on the only bed, her bandaged arms shockingly white among the shadows. She was reflected in a large window in the far wall, the outside sky as black and still as the inside of a tomb. He smelled disinfectant and blood. Numbers and graph lines flared on grey-eyed medical monitors. Somewhere in the vast empty spaces of the hospital a voice echoed.

He’d never visited a burn ward.

Never had a partner so close to death.

Never thought a room could seem as hollow as he felt inside.

The feeling was so disembodying that when he reached the bed and looked into the woman’s face, he half expected to see himself. But it was Liz, her forehead and knobby cheekbones smeared with ointment, eyebrows and eyelashes burned away. A bandage covered her left earlobe where her favorite earring, a small gold star, usually sat. It seemed like every breath she took pained her.

He wanted to take her hand but the bandages made it impossible. “Liz,” he said softly, her name almost lost among the beeps and clicks of the monitors. Liquid dripped into a tangle of IV tubes at the back of her fist.

Her eyelids fluttered.

“Liz. Doctor told me I could talk to you.”

Her eyes opened. He watched her pupils widen and narrow as they absorbed the distance to the ceiling and distinguished shadows from feeble light.

“Vic?” A hoarse whisper.

“I’m here.”

She turned her face to him. “You got me out.”

Relief rose in Vic’s throat. “Yeah. But the house didn’t make it.”

“Cora Stills?”

Vic squeezed his eyelids shut and rocked on his heels. He didn’t know where to start. Cora Stills. The one person who knew something—anything—about his missing teenage daughter. Liz on her way to arrest her. Instead, Liz, handcuffed to a radiator pipe as flames lathered and stormed through Cora’s house. Cora’s burned-out car found two days later on a crumbling stone dock next to a deserted warehouse, the Allegheny River emptying westward.

Cora, alive and moving through that tomb of darkness outside the window. Free.

“Vic…” Liz said something more but he couldn’t make it out.

He bent closer.

She forced her words from somewhere deep inside, and as she spoke, he knew this was what she saved through all the fear and pain to tell him. “Someone told Cora I was coming.”

***

Excerpt from The Things That Last Forever by Peter W. J. Hayes. Copyright 2020 by Peter W. J. Hayes. Reproduced with permission from Peter W. J. Hayes. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Peter W. J. Hayes worked as a journalist, advertising copywriter and marketing executive before turning to mystery and crime writing. He is the author of the Silver Falchion-nominated Pittsburgh trilogy, a police procedural series, and is a Derringer-nominated author of more than a dozen short stories. His work has appeared in Black Cat Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly, Pulp Modern and various anthologies, including two Malice Domestic collections and The Best New England Crime Stories. He is also a past nominee for the Crime Writers Association (CWA) Debut Dagger Award.

Peter can be found at:
www.peterwjhayes.com
Facebook

 

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!

 

 

Giveaway!!:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Peter W.J. Hayes. There will be 4 winners for this giveaway. Two (2) winners will each receive one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card and two (2) winners will each receive one (1) physical copy of The Things That Last Forever by Peter W.J. Hayes (US Only). The giveaway begins on January 1, 2021 and runs through March 2, 2021. Void where prohibited.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler #memoir #funny

About:

 In her first book, one of our most beloved funny folk delivers a smart, pointed, and ultimately inspirational read. Full of the comedic skill that makes us all love Amy, Yes Please is a rich and varied collection of stories, lists, poetry (Plastic Surgery Haiku, to be specific), photographs, mantras and advice

My review:

I have had this book on my TBR for awhile and took it off my shelf two days ago . I am glad I did.

Amy Poehler is funny but more importantly candid about her life. She writes about her boys, post-partum depression, marriage, divorce, drug use, sex, SNL, and Parks and Recreation.
She tells of hard work and much appreciation for people who give her a chance. She name drops everywhere!

This is a 3 1/2 star book but I popped it up to 4.

Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book for my own collections. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle

Review: M.C. Plays Hide & Seek by Eva Grayzel #selfhelp #cancersurvival #kidlit @EvaGrayzel @iReadBookTours.

About the book:

M.C. is a cancer cell who shares just enough information about the nature of the disease to promote dialogue and minimize fear. The scary part of cancer is the unknown. Learn about doctors who look for cancer. Understand feelings children experience and learn ways to cope. Empower children with knowledge and how to make a difference. 

My review:

Cancer is a subject that is hard enough for adults to deal with but with children, it is downright scary. This book is guide that helps children unmask the scary part or at least one would hope so.

The book introduces M. C. a gender neutral character who tells what it does in the body and how hard it is to find it. M.C. shares the different kinds of doctors and what they do to try to find it. M.C. gives basic information and is a conversation starter for feelings for children. It does not go much further than that and gives symptoms or what a patient might look like. Maybe it was not supposed to. Again, it only let's children a glimpse of what it really is.

The only thing I did not like about the book is that M.C. looks pretty much like s green booger from the nose in human form. I am not sure this was the way to go but then, how do you make a cancer cell look like to a child? Hmm?

Otherwise, I liked the photos and illustrative ideas to try to help children and maybe, even an adult too.

Overall, I am giving this book 3 1/2 stars.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author. The review here is 100% my own and may differ with your opinions. ~Michelle

Where to find the author:

Eva Grayzel is a motivational speaker, storyteller, and cancer survivor. When her children were five and seven years old, she was diagnosed with cancer. Their fear of losing her was deep, real, and suppressed. When she got a second chance at life, she created the Talk4Hope book series to help children understand cancer and make it less scary.

website ~facebook ~ instagram

Giveaway:

FIND IT HERE

The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus #review #novel

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Wanted:
One young woman to take care of four-year-old boy. Must be cheerful, enthusiastic and selfless--bordering on masochistic. Must relish sixteen-hour shifts with a deliberately nap-deprived preschooler. Must love getting thrown up on, literally and figuratively, by everyone in his family. Must enjoy the delicious anticipation of ridiculously erratic pay. Mostly, must love being treated like fungus found growing out of employers Hermès bag. Those who take it personally need not apply.

Who wouldn't want this job? Struggling to graduate from NYU and afford her microscopic studio apartment, Nanny takes a position caring for the only son of the wealthy X family. She rapidly learns the insane amount of juggling involved to ensure that a Park Avenue wife who doesn't work, cook, clean, or raise her own child has a smooth day.

MY REVIEW:

Even though this book has been out quite awhile, I am just getting a chance read and finish it. I read it within just a couple of days. As I read, I was reminded of the years that I taught preschool the age of the child in the book. Some things rang true.

The book cover mentions that the NY Times found the book to be funny. I can't say that I agree with that statement. I read about a cultural of upper class people who see their children as possessions verses what they really are, beautiful human beings that are dying to have their parent's notice them. As I read, I shook my head at the audacity of the parents of this child. So not funny.

At the same time, I held "nanny" in praise as she navigates this little human around an impossible life and mourns for him as he will grow up and more than likely become like them.

This book  should be an eye opener to people who take care of children but more importantly to parents that are supposed to be raising them. Yes, I know this is a supposedly fictitious book but it is based on a conglomerate of the authors' real lives.

In the end, it is not a surprise as the reader hopes it will be but, "nanny" did the right thing and left with head held high and loved him.

4 stars 

Disclosure: I purchased this book for my own collections. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle

The Story of Wobbly Willie Cranford by Richard Quisenberry #Kidlit #Picturebooks #giveaway #kindness

 

The Story of Wobbly Willie Cranford
By Richard Quisenberry
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Giveaway: $10 Amazon, Signed Book

About the book:

When it comes to starting the new year off right! The Wobbly Willie Kindness Book Collection just might be what you and your family need to help brighten the minds of our future on important issues that they may or may not understand.

Join Wobbly as he embarks on a journey that not only teaches us how to embrace our uniqueness but he reminds us of how to be kind to ourselves. When we address these reminders head-on, the power of a being kind brings us together. Wobbly Willie’s differences help identify and bring awareness to what it truly means to be kind to one another. This book will help redirect the behavior and mindset of children who are having difficulty understanding the value of Kindness, which results in a community that now is aware of the valuable life skills necessary in order to make a positive impact for generations to come.


Add to Goodreads
Amazon * Website  ​

​


About the Wobbly Willie Kindness Organization
Wobbly Willie's Kindness Organization was founded on the belief that everyone has the opportunity to be kind and that kindness can be cultivated through an intentional practice. Our mission is to inspire, educate, and motivate individuals to understand that kindness matters. We want to empower individuals with the tools and support to boost each person's confidence, while being prescribed new ways of embracing others differences and administering kindness. The Wobbly Willie Organization is broken down into a variety of services, such as Kindness Children's Books, Kindness Education Programs, and Kindness Professional Speaking Engagements. Explore more with us as we push to spread kindness across the country.

Find out more here - https://www.wobblywillie.org/ 

About the author:

​

Richard Quisenbury (Coach Quis) has achieved and is still in pursuit of every dream he has set his mind to, including graduating from college, becoming a principal, driving across the country, learning many hobbies, traveling out of the country, falling deeply in love, creating a beautiful family, and identifying his life purpose, to name but a few.
With over 40 years of experience in the educational industry, Coach Quis is just as passionate today, as he was on his first day, about developing tomorrow’s personal and professional leaders. As said by Coach Quis, “If you want a different result, you must be willing to first take a different action. With the near epidemic proportions of unhappy employees, the need for personal and professional integration has never been more imminent.”
Note that he didn’t say work/life balance; he believes such a thing is both impossible and undesirable for we spend a disproportionate amount of our time working. Instead, the goal is to integrate all aspects of life so we thrive at our careers & our personal lives equally as well, where we aren’t leaving a part of us behind as we spend our days at work wishing we were somewhere else… anywhere else; or trying to be home with our children while distracted by the things not getting done at work. Instead of balance, it’s the power of presence we seek.

Giveaway:

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!