A Kite at the Edge of the World by Katy Grant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A masterclass in storytelling...

More often than not children relate themselves with the characters of a good story. In such circumstances, reading fiction can help them to get inspiration from the characters. These stories often portray real life implications through anecdotes, and as such makes it easier for them to understand the complex aspects of life. Moreover, reading these stories at regular intervals can actually help them to develop a positive outlook towards life, which eventually proves beneficial for good character development.

A Kite at the Edge of the World by Katy Grant is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive story of friendship, first loss and of seizing the day. This for me was a phenomenal read. It’s one of those stories that stayed with me for several days after I finished reading it. The vivid descriptions of the settings, situations, and the people were stunning. The author’s use of genuine dialogue further added to the overall atmosphere of authenticity.

The contrast between tone and content is a characteristic talent of only a few authors. Grant pays as much attention to her sentences as she does to her plots, shifting or consolidating meaning with the use of a single word. Her writing is impeccably honed, full of juxtapositions and qualifications that help to create an authentic and emotionally poignant novel.

This was a captivating read that had me engrossed from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There’s an ample supply of attention-grabbing moments in this page turner that will take the reader on a captivating and mesmerizing journey.

It’s one of those books that come along occasionally that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader.

Highly recommended reading and a well-deserved five stars from me.

View all my reviews

The Adventures of Fawn, Book 1: 'Til the Last Snowflake Falls by Al E. Boy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A delightful and charming book for the young reader...

More often than not children relate themselves with the characters of a good story. In such circumstances, reading fiction can help them to get inspiration from the characters. These stories often portray real life implications through anecdotes, and as such makes it easier for them to understand the complex aspects of life. Moreover, reading these stories at regular intervals can actually help them to develop a positive outlook towards life, which eventually proves beneficial for good character development.

The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘…'Til the Last Snowflake Falls is the first entry in this series, and follows the exploits of Fawn, the daughter of legendary reindeer Comet and Vixen. The young reindeer spends far too many days alone in the stable at Santa's Village, with no friends and nothing to do. While her parents caution she's much too young, naive, and inexperienced to go exploring outside the Village by herself, Fawn disagrees. Declaring, “I want some fun and excitement! I don’t care how dangerous it is!” she begins sneaking out each day in search of friends, excitement and adventure. She'll find them all...but also find herself in dangerous situations she's unprepared for! She’ll realize perhaps a tad too late that mum and dad were right all along! And, she'll learn some valuable lessons about what's really important in life…’

The Adventures of Fawn: 'Til the Last Snowflake Falls by Al E. Boy is a delightful and charming book for the young reader. I read it with my own grand kids, and they loved it. The author writes in a wonderful, simple and imaginative style that will guarantee the attention of young minds. If you ever wanted to bond even more with your children or grandchildren, this would be a lovely story to share with them.

It seems to me that this book was created with a lot of love and joy and it’s clear that the author really enjoys creating such wonderful stories. Thank you for sharing with us the gift that you have obviously worked so hard to refine. We’ll be looking forward to seeing what’s coming next. A well-deserved five stars from us!

View all my reviews

Soldiers of Freedom: The WWII Story of Patton’s Panthers and the Edelweiss Pirates by Samuel Marquis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A dramatic and riveting tale that resonates on many levels...

Award-winning and bestselling author Samuel Marquis weaves a powerful historical fiction (based on a World War II true story). With fascinating twists and turns it will easily captivate the reader from the first page to the last. The author paints a dramatic and riveting tale that resonates on many levels in a very vivid and convincing way.

Soldiers of Freedom is a WWII Story of Patton's Panthers and the Edelweiss Pirates. It’s the true story of the 1944-1945 War in Western Europe and the final Allied struggle to conquer Nazi Germany. While I was familiar with Patton's Panthers, the author highlights other aspects of this horrendous time in human history that I was unfamiliar with. Not only was this a great read and an education, it was written in a very balanced and unbiased way.

Soldiers of Freedom had every element a good story should have. An interesting plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. There’s an abundance of well-illustrated scenes that make you feel like you are right there in the story, and that’s something I look for in a good book.

It’s one of those stories that come along once in a while that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I’m giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader!

I’ll be looking forward to reading more from Samuel Marquis in the future. I would highly recommend this book. A well-deserved five stars from me.

View all my reviews

The Night Drop by Ian D. Wright
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A well-crafted mystery thriller with a sprinkling of romance...

The Night Drop: Resistance in the Marshlands by Ian D Wright is a wonderfully written and richly descriptive novel with brilliantly drawn characters and settings. The author weaves a well-crafted and captivating historical fiction. Intriguing twists and turns ensures that this book will captivate the reader from the first page to the last. From beginning to end, the author holds the reader’s interest. In addition, the characters are drawn with great credibility and conviction.

The story had every element a good story should have. A solid plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. There’s an abundance of well-illustrated scenes that make you feel you are right there in the story, and that’s something I look for in a good book.

I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much. It’s a first-class mystery thriller with perfect pacing.

Highly recommended and a well deserved five stars from me.

View all my reviews

You're Retired...Now What?: Discovering & Funding Your Purpose-driven Retirement by Debra Brede
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A wealth of experience and knowledge shared...

The author correctly states that, countless books have been written about PLANNING for retirement. However, this book is about MANAGING your wealth during retirement.

Retirement is anticipated by many and dreaded by some. The closer that we get to achieving retirement, the more anxious we might feel about it, for it is a life altering experience. Author and Investment manager Debra Brede shares a wealth of experience and knowledge about investing and how to prepare for retirement.

Highly recommended reading and a well-deserved five stars from me.

View all my reviews

Yummy Me Feels So Good by Lion I Am
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Insightful, educational and fun...

More often than not children relate themselves with the characters of a good story. In such circumstances, reading fiction can help them to get inspiration from the characters. These stories often portray real life implications through anecdotes, and as such makes it easier for them to understand the complex aspects of life. Moreover, reading these stories at regular intervals can actually help them to develop a positive outlook towards life, which eventually proves beneficial for good character development.

This, however, is not a typical character driven children’s book. Instead, it reads more like a gentle how-to guide to help children deal with their emotions. This clever little book describes how to help children find better coping methods with stress and tools for keeping calm. It’s a great way to help them explore their emotions and learn to ‘self-love’ or respect themselves.

Yummy Me Feels So Good by Lion I Am will help to create strong, independent, happy children while developing essential life skills. It’s a smart, witty, and intelligent way to introduce young children to mindfulness and meditation to a certain extent.

Highly recommended for preschoolers and elementary school-age children.

View all my reviews

Exclusive Pedigree: My life in and out of the Brethren by John L. Fear
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A tribute to John Fear’s exceptional life...

The Exclusive Brethren Church may be somewhat of an enigma to those outside of the Evangelical Christian community. They’ve been called everything from a cult to a secretive sect. However, this review has little to do with their religious beliefs, and more to do with the life of an extraordinary man, John L. Fear.

This autobiography is the living record of a man, crisscrossed by the personal history of a family and the most intimate fibers of his being. It is an exemplary human response to a life well lived through the good times and the hard times. It’s a wonderful story mixed with history, social customs, travel, and belief.

John’s honest reflections about his life touched me as the curtain was about to close for him: ‘During the year immediately following my retirement, I had time to reflect deeply on how much I had failed to live by my Christian principles and on what an imperfect witness I had been to the Grace of God. There were incidents I regretted and times when I said things that were unkind. All of these needed time to bring to God and seek his forgiveness. Wherever possible I wrote to those whom I had wronged. At the same time I was grateful for all the opportunities I had been given for serving the Lord.’

I was equally touched by this statement that we could all learn and benefit from: ‘Looking back on life I would like to have been less preoccupied with myself, less dependent on the opinion of others, while remaining undisturbed by their criticism and unaffected by their praise.’

I really enjoyed the fact that this book was completed and edited by the authors sons Robert, and Alastair. The overall tone was simply imparting knowledge, personal experience, and wisdom in a gentle and generous way. I’ve no doubt he’d be immensely proud of both of you. Highly recommended reading and a well-deserved five stars from me.

Exclusive Pedigree: My life in and out of the Brethren is a powerful and inspirational story that will leave you feeling like a better person for having read it. It’s an impressive work by the late John L. Fear. RIP.

View all my reviews