Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers: November 2023

Thursday, November 23, 2023

RRR presents... THE SECRET INGREDIENT by Sue Heath - COVER REVEAL!

SUPER EXCITED to be sharing a COVER REVEAL with you, today via Rachel's Random Resources! It's got a curious tagline, and I just love the cover art because it's bookish and begs for further investigation. So, let your imagination take flight as we bring into the light the next title for your 2024 TBR....

The Secret Ingredient

Sue Heath

Release Date: 02/15/24

About the book...

She’s writing her story one recipe at a time…

‘A delicious story that wraps itself around your heart’ Evie Woods, bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop

It’s been three years, two weeks and one day since Kate Shaw’s life changed forever. Three years, two weeks and one day that Kate has been angry – with herself and life.

But today is different. Different because Kate has finally taken the step she’s been avoiding…back into the kitchen. Now, what begins as a (disastrous) attempt to make pancakes becomes a culinary journey that is not only a love letter to someone so important to her, but also an unexpected means of connection to a community she never knew she had…

Preorder available....

AMAZON UK

HARPER COLLINS UK

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About the author...

Sue Heath lives in Cheshire, England. When she isn’t working, she can often be found running around agility courses with her spaniel, and in the evenings, she loves to cook and spend time with family and friends.

‘The Secret Ingredient’ is an uplifting story that explores how a sense of community, sharing, friendship, love, and a feeling of belonging can help us make sense of life, find comfort, and heal. How we can find our happiness in ordinary things.

Sue has also written fourteen USA Today bestselling romcoms under the pseudonym Zara Stoneley and has sold over half a million copies of her stories worldwide.

You can find out more about Sue on her website, or catch her on social media...

SITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

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Special thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to bring this tour to you. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, this promotion, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

RRR presents... A Christmas Carol with Grandfather Time by Rose English - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

Ready for the holidays?

They are practically here, and while Thanksgiving is in the US tomorrow, everyone seems to have moved on to the next holiday in line...Christmas. Yes, it is a wonderful time of the year, but it's also important to remember to be THANKFUL, and take the time to share of ourselves with our friends and family...things that can get lost in the shuffle nowadays. Today's Rachel's Random Resources tour features a story that remembers those important things, and then some, while sharing the reminder with readers young and old. Ladies and gents, readers of all ages, gather round for a story that is both new AND familiar all at once...

A Christmas Carol with Grandfather Time

Rose English

About the book...

A modern lyrical re-telling of the Charles Dickens classic for children of all ages. Young Ebenezer hates sharing and is not very caring. Can a magical clock and a ghost puppy help him mend his ways?

#SharingIsCaring

**At least £1 from every book purchased will go towards donating a book to each child in Hereford County Hospital over the Christmas Season 2023**

AMAZON | LINK TREE

🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄

Every year, I read a version of A Christmas Carol. It's true! It's a little holiday tradition I started for myself because I really enjoy the story, and while the classic is indeed a classic, there are so many variations, and retellings that deserve their chance to shine too! This one counts as my reread this year (for now!), and I couldn't be happier!

It's a darling Picture Book filled with lovely festive illustrations, rhymes, and a charming story that will have familiar aspects for those that know the original, while introducing new readers to the tale of old in a more approachable version for today. Eb, aka Ebeneezer, isn't ready to call it quits on his game when his mother calls time for bed. Go figure, right? A little reinforcement from dad and Eb gets his little butt in gear, performing his nightly rituals (brush the teeth, put on the pj's, etc), and drifts off to dreamland. Is that the end? Why of course not, but it could have been if Grandfather Time hadn't seen his little tantrum, as well as his bouts of selfishness with his toys and his time previously. Instead, Eb is in for a few ghostly visits, and a chance to turn his ways around, and all he has to do is take to heart the messages that little Miss Ruby Heart helps bring to light in all her rosy glory.

It's a wonderful little tale that speaks to the best things of the season, while reminding us that those practices of kindness, goodwill toward mankind, and sharing, can be carried on throughout the year. A great pick for a bedtime story, classroom story time, or family read, that will really connect with the kiddos of today for perhaps a kinder tomorrow.

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About the author...

Living on 'England's Green & Pleasant Land', among the gentle rolling hills of the Herefordshire Countryside, Rose's house is wall to wall books. She's a Read-a-holic, whose hobby is to write stories for the young and young at heart.

Working as a school librarian, and sharing her love of books with children, was the best job she ever had. However, life moves on and another chapter was only a page turn away. Working in a very different library now, she is a key worker for the NHS helping to run the Medical Equipment Library in Wye Valley NHS Trust.

After winning FIRST PRIZE in a short story competition with 'The Magic of Grandfather Christmas' she is inspired to transform the tale into a collection of stories for all ages. ‘Young Ebenezer' is inspired by the Dickens classic 'A Christmas Carol' and brought into modern times with a strong theme of sharing and caring.

Rose has a little sidekick called Miss Ruby Heart, a ruby King Charles spaniel from the Grandfather Time Series. The puppy is the Ghost of Christmas Past and features on the 'Young Ebenezer’ covers. She also has her own social media pages check out www.instagram.com/missrubyheart1

SITE | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

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Giveaway To Win a #SharingIsCaring #Giveaway

(To share between the whole family)

(Open to UK only)

Prize includes –

Hardback picture book ‘A Christmas Carol with Grandfather Time’ (4 – 8 years average)

Paperback ‘Young Ebenezer ~ A New Christmas Carol’ (8+ years)

Paperback ‘Young Ebenezer ~ Confronts the School Bully (8+ years)

Paperback ‘The Magic of Grandfather Time’ (older readers to adults)

This is where the stories all began a short story of love and loss

Paperback/Pocket Treasure ‘Ruby’s Christmas Gifts’ (Families to share) short stories, poems, puzzles jokes.

Grandfather Time bookmarks, pen, fridge magnet, sticker

Miss Ruby Heart glitter sticker, badge, heart/pawprint bracelet

Sharing is Caring necklace

Christmas keyring

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Special thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to bring this tour to you and for the ecopy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, this promotion, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today and be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more bookish fun!

Until next time, remember..if it looks good, READ IT!

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

BLOG TOUR: Rock, Scissors, Paperbag by Elizabeth Godley, Illustrated by Akanksha Tyagi - REVIEW!

It's almost turkey day! Are you ready?

Whether you have a family meal with people crossing the country to make it to the dinner table, or a small celebration with a few friends and family you hold dear, the US of A is presently going made for the upcoming holiday. I should know...I work retail...hence the slightly more sporadic posts at the moment, but that doesn't mean reading isn't happening, or that there isn't anything to recommend because there most certainly is, and today's featured Blog Tour guest might just be the book you're looking for!

Today on the menu, we've got a Chapter Book filled with imagination, lessons to be learned, and some good old fashioned fun. Sound like your cup of tea? Well then, ladies and gents, I give you today's ebook of choice...

Rock, Scissors, Paperbag

Elizabeth Godley

Illustrated by

Akanksha Tyagi

9788989108800

Nobody's Banana Publishing

About the book...

Rock, Scissors, and Paperbag are the bestest of friends! Paperbag is afraid of everything, Rock is a talented musician, and Scissors is an excellent Orange Ball player. After the school bullies, The Bucket Kids, steal Scissors’ fake orange-ball, the kids decide to get back at the bullies. What if they could get a real orange-ball from The Great Orange Tree? That would show The Bucket Kids!

Recalling the local legend, they embark on a fantastic adventure to find The Great Orange Tree. However, while solving the riddle within the ancient map, they encounter a cave monster, a tornado of rapping cooties, and the horrid Land of Smells. How will they face each challenge? Will they end up back home with a real orange-ball? And if they do, will they share it?

AMAZON | GOODREADS

✀ ✂ ✄ ✁ ✀

Rock, Scissors, and Paperbag were the best of friends. There wasn't one among them that was perfect in every way, but they complimented each other, aiming to be their best and bring out the best in their friends, and isn't that what having a true friend is all about?

The story itself takes us into a imagined land filled with animated, living objects that are no longer content to simply lie about, but have lives, dreams, and aspirations. Rock wants to be a rockstar. Scissors wants to be a world famous Orange Ball player. Paperbag wants...to simply be a bit less scared, and a bit more content, but he's working on it. When bullies come a calling, they lost something precious to them, but end up on a mission to get something even better. No, not a real Orange Ball, although technically that is there initial mission, but the missions BEHIND the mission it to cement their friendship, have a good time, overcome the bullies, and share their wealth with the world...or at least their classmates. The ups and downs they experience, the curious trail they are lead on, and even the strange portions of their world they encounter will spark imagination, if not turn a stomach because hello, THE LAND OF SMELL? With a few described smells? Eww...no thanks...but at least it was made bearable with friends, such is the lesson of life! It can get stinky sometimes and make us want to walk away, but it moves on, and, with the help of a few good friends, it's that much easier to trudge on through.

In the end, this was a curious beginning to a magic infused Chapter Book series that has a lot of potential, a few hidden humorous moments, and a whole lot of love. Life in Orange Orange may have started out rather boring and humdrum, but how can anything stay that way with good friends by your side? A great read for the kiddos, whether on their own or with a friend, and a fun way to spark imagination while instilling the importance of kindness, sharing, and supporting one another.

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About the author...

Elizabeth is a writer, actress, and elementary school teacher living in Los Angeles. The bulk of her work and training is in classical theatre & Shakespeare, balanced with clown, voice over, TV & Film experience. She grew up on a farm in Louisiana and graduated from LSU. A world traveler, always up for an adventure, Elizabeth is a joyous observer of the beautiful, a collector of tiny things, a caretaker, mentor, fairy, clown, friend, and kid magnet. Seriously, she cannot go into a park without at least 3 kids around her wanting to join in on the fun. Her favorite children’s authors are J.M. Barrie and A.A. Milne

INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK

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Special thanks to author Elizabeth Godley for the ecopy for review and the chance to bring this tour to you. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, or the author, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now via Nobody's Banana Publishing, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

Monday, November 20, 2023

WHAT'S THE BUZZ?: A Lady on the Edge of Ruin by Lotte R. James - REVIEW!

Regency Romance fan? FABULOUS...because today's WHAT'S THE BUZZ title is perfectly suited to you! We're got the latest release by author Lotte R. James COMING SOON via Harlequin Books, and it stars an interesting duo with an equally interesting storyline. Don't believe me? How about if I told you I didn't really like our main female lead for a good portion of the story? Or what if I said the male lead seemed a little too perfect? Ah, now I have your attention! Let me burst one of your thought bubbles though, in the end...I LOVED the book, but as with most people harboring a secretive nature, it took a bit to get to know it. Ladies and gents, prepare yourself as we dive between the epages of today's book of choice...

A Lady on the Edge of Ruin

Lotte R. James

Harlequin

Release Date: 11/23/23 UK

11/28/23 US

About the book...

A passion that could destroy her reputation...

...but save her heart!

Since the traumatic events of her first Season, Lady Mary Spencer’s been wary of Society. Tired of feeling angry and bitter, at a seemingly innocuous garden party, she lets her guard down with Luca Guaro. The charming Italian rogue also abhors the ton’s dictates and becomes a much-needed light in Mary’s life. A liaison with Luca would be scandalous, so why is she so tempted to head to the brink of ruin...

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Lady Mary Spencer is QUITE the character.

She has a carefully crafted reputation that the ton can not ignore, wields the information (aka secrets) she gathers like so much armor against the world, and is equally adept at turning it into weapons as needed. That's not to say she's heartless, merely that she's locked hers away under lock and key. It's not until a good portion of the story has transpired that we discover the reason for her actions. Grant it, there are hints along the way, but nothing, in this case, was better for enlightenment of her true character than full disclosure. Frankly, I don't blame her for all she did, but she was missing out on all that could be as she built a fortress for herself that seemed unable to be penetrated. I was heartbroken when it seemed all that was within reach was being pulled away again, and in utter despair when the one at the heart of the betrayal was revealed, but in awe of her family and the plan concocted on her behalf. Ah, catch that earlier statement did you? Seemingly....let us examine our male lead, Luca Guaro.

The title often makes the man, and yet Luca was just fine without one.

He kept fine company, provided for his mother and sister, lived a life filled with balls, excursions, and decadence...but he was what the ton would call a fancy man. In our times, I believe an escort would be a close definition, though there were relations with some of the women, but I digress. His latest "keeper" may have started that way, but turned into more of a deep friendship, a companionship, if you will, allowing his heart to remain free, and his desires to fall where they may. Where did they fall? Why, upon Lady Spencer, of course! She's so appealing from what I wrote above, is she not? NO, she was a beauty, yet could be ruthless, but he saw deeper, below the masks she wore, and keenly wanted to know her in her heart of hearts. Remember my mention of "too perfect"? Yes, there's the bit that caught me unawares. He's gorgeous, kind, willing to both take a chance and give one in return, and...really the only flaw I could find was he seemed to give up on Mary a might too easily when his inner dialogue seemed to know better, though that was a situation that was remedied in full color splendor.

By book's end, I was in Mary's corner fully with fingers crossed and baited breath that all would turn out as hoped. It was definitely a till the last page type of ending, but it was so much better for it. We come to know her fully, the same can be said for Luca, and the more that comes to light, the more a union between the two can easily be seen as the best finale for the tale (but I won't confirm anything, you have to read it!). Though a standalone title, I also enjoyed the mentions and meetings of the other novels that came before it; it was like meeting old friends, and walking memory lane hand in hand. One small stutter for me, the use of italics and ellipsis, or rather their over use. I'm not an editor, and it could purely be author's choice here, but they definitely seemed to be favorited to a degree...a touch Shatner-like...and while it niggled my brain, it didn't ruin the story.

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About the author...

Lotte James trained as an actor and theatre director, but spent most of her life working day jobs crunching numbers whilst dreaming up stories of love and adventure. She’s thrilled to finally be writing those stories, and when she's not scribbling on tiny pieces of paper, she can usually be found wandering the countryside for inspiration, or nestling with coffee and a book.

SITE | X | INSTAGRAM

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Special thanks to author Lotte R. James for the chance to share this title with you and for the ecopy for review! (THANKS!) For more information on this title, or the author, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title celebrates its BOOK BIRTHDAY in the UK November 23rd, 2023, and in the US November 28th, 2023, so mark your calendar or pre order your copy today!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Happy BOOK BIRTHDAY to... ETHAN FAIRMONT via Union Square Kids!

Greetings and salutations!

Today is another FANTASTIC release day, and while there are a plethora of titles I'd love to feature right here, right now, you're getting a glimpse at the latest duo I finished, of which the sequel just released! Excited? Well, you should be because it's not like a lot of other books out there, and it's a Middle Grade Sci-fi adventure to boot! Ready, set, let's get between the pages of today's books of choice...

Nothing Interesting Ever Happens to Ethan Fairmont

(Book 1)

Too Many Interesting Things are Happening to Ethan Fairmont

(Book 2)

Nick Brooks

9781454945574

9781454947103

Union Square Kids

Okay, so even though book two was the one releasing today, I really prefer starting a series at the beginning, hence the DOUBLE READ and DOUBLE REVIEW! If you've already read the first book, congrats; you know what I'm about to expound upon. If not, no worries...no time like the present!

In book one...we meet Ethan Fairmont.

DUN DUN DUNNNNNN

Okay, not really...I mean, we meet him, and his friends, family, the newcomers to town, and welcome back others that deserted him previously, but apparently had their reasons (which come out during the story). But I digress...Ethan is an inventor, somewhat genius, and a middle grade friend. He means well, but can tend to focus on himself a bit much at times in lieu of those around him...such was not the case when he came upon Cheese. No, not cheese the food, but rather Cheese the little alien that appears in his designated workshop with his pinball ship and...oops. Let me backtrack. I told you from the start, these books are not exactly what they seem. Ethan has more on his plate this summer than he imagined, but with the help of a new friend, and perhaps the aid of an old one, he'll get his chance to reach the stars...or at least help someone else reach them before it's too late!

In book two...we're back with Ethan and friends, but the trouble is not over!

Cheese may be gone, but that doesn't mean those seeking him...man, or...something else... have given up the trail...and that's only part of Ethan's problems. He's getting ready for the school year, dealing with new friends and old, discovering his feelings for a one of those friends may have turned into something else, and battling his jealous side when he might not be the smartest one in the room. OH, and yeah, trying to figure out how to make the shiny thing with the flower power that Cheese might have left him actually work! Did I mention there are others on his trail? Did I also mention it's not just others, but might be Others? Yeah...danger ahead, my friends, DANGER AHEAD!

So I don't ruin the surprises because they are many, let me take another angle here. The series has a science fiction bend I wasn't expecting, while at the same time exploring much more than the far reaches of space...and the invaders that might be among us! (EEK!) We tackle everyday topics like friendship, bullying, growing up, families, and the importance of STEM in the school curriculum, but also racial inequality, prejudice, and the journey to citizenship. Some heavy hitters in that latter part too, and they don't spare the senses even with the Middle Grade genre it's written in. It's not a bad thing, but rather a "me too" thing, allowing readers from various backgrounds to either see themselves, recognize the past, future or current world conditions that still need change, or simply get a new viewpoint on an issue that has and does exist to this day. So yes, I was rather surprised by the content, but it melded entertainment with cultural education rather well, leaving room not only for the issues to be pointed out, but examined, all while witnessing the same for our otherworldly friends, AND entertaining us with a wild, and woolly tale that's out of this world.

A great add for your Middle Grade reading shelf, and an interesting selection perhaps for school reading with plenty of room for discussion. Don't miss Ethan Fairmont's adventures...and be prepared for more to come!

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About the author...

Nick Brooks is an author and award-winning filmmaker. His short film Hoop Dreamin’ earned him the George Lucas Scholar Award and he was a finalist in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Film Fest. His short film Bee won the James Bridges and Jack Larson Award for Writing and Directing and premiered at the American Black Film Festival. A rising star, Brooks is poised to be a breakout author with his debut middle-grade novel, Nothing Ever Happens to Ethan Fairmont, and his YA debut title, Promise Boys. Nick currently lives in Los Angeles, California, and is originally from Washington, D.C. Visit Nick at thenickbrooks.com.

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Special thanks to Jenny at Union Square & Co for the chance to bring this title to you as well as the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer or visit your local brick and mortar store today to snag your copy to join the adventure!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

Monday, November 13, 2023

WHAT'S THE BUZZ?: Hope for the Holidays by Daryl Wood Gerber - REVIEW!

So, you're looking for a suggestion of what to put on your TBR next? Perhaps you're ready for a holiday read being that the season is almost here? Fabulous! Then sit back and relax because today's featured title might be just the ticket for you! It comes to us via author Daryl Wood Gerber. You may recognize the name if you read Cozy Mysteries as that's he usual genre, but this time around she's indulged a bit of Holiday Romance. Ladies and gents, today's ebook of choice is...

Hope for the Holidays

Daryl Wood Gerber

About the book...

Hope Lyons had to sell her bakery in Portland, so she moved back to Hope Valley with her two children and has been working as a waitress to get herself on track. When her children win KPRL’s Christmas vacation contest and Steve Waldren, the sports anchor, arrives to award the prize, Hope knows it will ultimately cost her money and turns it down. To save his own career, Steve must change her mind. Will they find their way to love? It might take a holiday miracle.

Books2Read | AMAZON | B&N

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This was a book that came my way earlier in the year, and I actually started reading it way back then, but other obligations cropped up along the way, so it had to be put on the proverbial backburner to read as I could. The good news...the story is memorable, and the characters have a life of their own, so once I picked it up again, there was no lag time. I didn't have to back track in order to feel like I was in the right mindset, or jiving with the timeline; everything simply fell into place.

Hope was such a resilient young woman, taking life by the horns and doing what needed to be done in order to care for her two children. To say she was dealt a bad hand would be negligent, because she had a hand in creating the life she had, however, the fall from happy home to divorced single parent was certainly not her doing. The fallout from a good marriage turned bad came in may shapes and forms, thanks to the piece of work that up and left with pretty much everything, but you can't keep a good woman, and a great mom, down. Hope put her big girl pants on and carried on, if not for her sake, but the sake of her children. Times were very tough, but she scraped and scrapped, and did what needed doing in order to provide the basics...shelter, food, clothes, and love. The last one came in such a great abundance that when it came to a moment of good luck, she couldn't fully trust it, or the person's intent delivering the prize. I don't blame her, she was thinking of more than the moment, and in truth prizes often come with other expenses than the ones it actually covers, but having to tell her kids no every time something twisted and turned it away from the bright and shiny holiday it seemed to be, was too much. So, she carried the burden herself, suffered through the heartache...and in the end, found not only her place in this town she called home, but a kindred spirit waiting to be recognized, accepted, and loved as well.

I loved the town, the main characters, and the townspeople. Hope and her kids were a team through and through. Watching her struggle through the tough times was heartache inducing, but knowing there had to be something more out there for her left you filled with hope. Steve and his brother were quite the pair, and their relationship really warmed your heart. It didn't matter his challenges with communicating with the world, together they made it work because they really listened to one another with their minds AND their hearts. I appreciated his diligence as well, even when things really turned south, because it showed the goodness behind his character. While the idea of the BIG PRIZE was great, and the fallbacks realistic, I will say that, for me, there may have been one too many turn aways, but in the end, things still reached that moment of warmth filled with that glow of happiness we all look for.

All in all, it was a story that reminds us there are good people in the world and happily-ever-afters do exist, if only we're willing to put the effort in to reach it. Take a trip to Hope Valley and discover some of the magic the season offers, while perhaps gathering a view ideas of how you can put more good out into the world this holiday and thereafter!

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About the author...

Daryl Wood Gerber is the Agatha Award-winning, nationally bestselling author of of The Fairy Garden Mysteries, featuring a fairy garden shop owner in charming Carmel, California, The French Bistro Mysteries, featuring a former chef who is now an up-and-coming bistro owner in Napa Valley, and The Cookbook Nook Mysteries, featuring an admitted foodie and owner of a cookbook store in picturesque coastal California. Under the pen name Avery Aames, Daryl writes the Agatha Award-winning, nationally bestselling The Cheese Shop Mysteries set in fictional Providence, Ohio. Daryl also writes suspense novels, including the Aspen Adams books and standalones, which have garnered terrific reviews.

Prior to her career as a novelist, Daryl wrote screenplays and created the format for the popular TV sitcom Out of this World. A fun tidbit for mystery buffs, Daryl was also an actress and co-starred on Murder, She Wrote, as well as other TV shows. Daryl is originally from the Bay Area and graduated from Stanford University. She loves to cook, read, golf, swim, and garden. She also likes adventure and has been known to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

SITE

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Special thanks to author Daryl Wood Gerber for the chance to share this title with you and for the ecopy for review! (THANKS!) For more information on this title, or the author, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title celebrates its BOOK BIRTHDAY TOMORROW November 14th, 2023, so mark your calendar or pre order your copy today!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

AWARENESS TOUR: Coloring the Rainbow: The Power of Connection by Catherine Rose, Illustrated by Jeff Dale - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

Time to bang on the drums, and blow the trumpets! Today's AWARENESS TOUR is all about celebrating what makes you YOU and what makes everyone else special as well because together we create a pretty magnificent picture. Don't believe me? Well then, let's take a closer look between the epages of today's book of choice on tour now with The Children's Book Review...

Coloring the Rainbow: The Power of Connection

Catherine Rose

Illustrated by

Jeff Dale

Ages: 3-8 | 32 Pages

9781643436371

Beaver’s Pond Press (2023)

About the book...

Coloring the Rainbow: The Power of Connection tells a story of the magic created when the unique talents of a diverse group of children are shared in a colorful adventure.

The adventure begins when we see through a boy’s window to find a young trombonist pausing his practice to wonder if other musical voices exist. When an alluring treble note wafts through his window, he begins an excited quest to find the answer. Playing his horn through his neighborhood, the boy draws other curious children to play their unique instruments along with him.

Together, they played:

“Lend your voice, play your part!

Something grand is beginning―

join us for the start!”

The procession of music makers is touched with magic when their combined voices, raised in harmony, orchestrate a colorful miracle.

The ease of poetry and vibrant illustrations make this book a perfect keepsake for any gift-giver wishing to explore the values of diversity and inclusion with young, loved ones.

Amazon | Bookshop

This is a beautiful and heartwarming story the begins with a shared moment between a grandfather and his grandson. His aim is to impart how big a mark one person, such as himself, can make on the world at large, and how much further that impact goes when we include others. Obviously, the boy would seem skeptical, however, grandpa knows just how to share the message, and that leads us to the wonderfully illustrated, music filled story that follows.

How can a printed work be filled with music? Ah, good question...but it's more a song you listen to with your heart, than your ears. With every turn of the page, we see the young lad, who started gathering those that would become friends, add girls and boys from all walks of life and backgrounds into his makeshift parade turned celebration of all the colors of the rainbow...representing the spectrum of colors that we all represent metaphorically. It's not simply red, blue, and yellow, but a young boy with a trombone, a young girl with a piccolo, bagpipe players, and string strummers, all playing together to create a beautiful, colorful song that celebrated the differences in all, while acknowledging that we're not all that different as well! We all have hopes and dreams, fears and likes, darkness and light, but the more we come together, the more we seek to understand one another in lieu of changing each other, that's when the true HARMONY happens, and the song played is sweetest!

A great story time pick for young readers of all ages to remind us to celebrate the uniqueness that is YOU as well as ME, and to look for the ways we can come together to create a song worthy of remembrance for all the best reasons!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Catherine Rose is enjoying that time of life when one thinks of creating a legacy. What are the lessons learned from living life’s adventure that would benefit generations to come?

As a pediatric nurse, she wrote therapeutic stories to help children cope masterfully with injury and illness. Her present stories weave tales with similarly empowering messages to support children’s development of resilience, confidence and empathy.

Rose writes from the back porch of her log home, inspired by the profile of Mount Jefferson in North Carolina. Married to her high school sweetheart, they now enjoy perpetual recess with their two grandchildren, whose favorite activity is to read a book written by Nana!

For more information, visit www.catherinerose-childauthor.com.

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ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Jeff Dale’s foray into artistic design began when his boss at a printing shop asked him to design a logo for a client. While the logo was an impressive design, creating the art had an even more impressive effect on motivating a true passion for creative design.

Educated in the design world of Washington, DC, Jeff’s wide scope of interest and talent has inspired him to design, create, and build just about anything one can conceive of creating, including this debut as an illustrator of a children’s book. Jeff is the founder of Dale Design, situated in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he resides with his wife and two grown children.

His varied talent in artistic design can be appreciated by visiting his website: www.daledesign.com.

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Enter the giveaway for the chance to win a signed hardcover copy of Coloring the Rainbow and a $100 Amazon gift card!

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Special thanks to Bianca at The Children's Book Review for the chance to bring this tour to you and for the ecopy for review. (THANKS!) This post is sponsored by Catherine Rose. The review and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal view. For more information on this title, the author, the illustrator, the publisher, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. Be sure to check out the rest of the stops on the tour for more bookish fun!

TOUR SCHEDULE

Monday, October 23, 2023

The Children’s Book Review