30 November, 2018

The Adventures of Billy Bog Brush by Tim Constable & Ian Campbell - [Book Review]




Summary:
It is a lovely day in Billy Bog Brush's neighbourhood. Billy is wondering what to do with himself, when he hears his neighbour, Mrs. Brown, screaming for help. Billy springs into action! Billy races to the scene where he finds Mrs. Brown’s house is on fire and she is locked out. Billy must use creative thinking to find a key. Will Billy manage to get the key before the fire brigade arrives? In this sweet children's story about courage and helping others, Billy learns how much fun it can be to be a hero!

Information about the Book
Title: The Adventures of Billy Bog Brush: The Fire Brigade
Author: Ian Campbell & Tim Constable
Release Date: 4th December 2018
Genre: Picture Book
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Clink Street Publishing



My Review

This picture book is about an adventure that Billy takes to save the grandson of Mrs. Brown whose house is caught with fire. It is not an easy feat for Billy to squeeze through the cat flap, climb the pole and do a big jump to reach for the house key. But, Billy does it with confidence and with a positive spirit. He could save Tommy at the right time.

This story is good to read for children above 5 years of age. The illustrations are great and the narration is interesting. My 7 yr old son loved to listen how Billy encourages himself that he can do it while climbing the poles and stairs even though it is a tough job for a person of his build. The character of Billy is different with a brush head, which is kind of funny too. 

A bonus point of the book is the empty pages at the end with questions about the book to draw and explain. My Sons love drawing and of course fire trucks. So, they enjoyed this part. 

I recommend this book to motivate kids that they can try and achieve their dreams even when it's tough for them. 

The only drawback I see is the multi-line paragraphs which are not suitable to read kids below 5-year-olds. Fewer words might have been better for younger kids. The Book cover might have been bright, as it looked dull with more white color.

My Rating : 4.5/5

PS: I have received this book from the author in exchange for a review and this is my honest opinion of the book.


Author Information

Ian Campbell
Ian Campbell is a senior storeman for the MOD. Born into a military family, he has lived in Germany, Northern Ireland, and the United Kingdom. His first book, A Walk with God, was published in 2011.


Tim Constable
Tim Constable works as a data analyst. He is also a musician, in the Coventry Cathedral choir as a boy, then later composing and playing in his own rock band. As a graphic artist, he has designed logos and flyers for various organizations.




Tour Schedule



Monday 26th November

Tuesday 27th November

Wednesday 28th November

Thursday 29th November
Friday 30th November

Saturday 1st December

Sunday 2nd December



Until next time,

26 November, 2018

My Memories of being a #FirstTimeMom

Every Mother dreams a lot about their baby before the delivery. But, no amount of preparation is enough compared to the real experience of taking care of the baby. Moreover, the memories of being a #FirstTimeMom are always special.






I was skeptic about my ability to take care of a baby before the delivery. I was not someone who can comfort a baby or cheer an infant. I was even afraid to hold the infants before I became pregnant. Babies are so pure, fragile and lovely that they should be treated gently.

In the labor room, on that day just before 7 years ago, I was amazed by the first sight of my son who is like a cute pink bundle – peaceful, soft and lovely. There are no words to explain but the experience was more than what I dreamt before. My First expression was the happiness that I could deliver a healthy child. I was thankful to the God for my baby.



When they brought the infant near me and when the nurse tried to help me with feeding, the first touch was soft. I was afraid if the baby’s skin will be damaged by my touch. When the infant was near my chest for feed, I felt an instant connection and liking. When my baby learned to feed my milk, I felt complete and felt like I had a great purpose of my life. Now, when I write my feelings about being a #FirstTimeMom, it feels a bit exaggerated, but that was the state of mind then.

I feel happy and thankful that I have my Mom by my side at that time to teach me how to take care of this beautiful baby boy. It would have been a lot difficult without my mom’s help and support during that time to recover from childbirth, eat healthy food, have nice sleep and to feed my baby in regular intervals.

The memories of being a #FirstTimeMom are always special. I wonder, how it would have been if there were baby wipes which were as pure as our motherhood memories. We didn’t have water-based wipes 7years ago, but now, we have #FirstWaterWipes by Mother Sparsh.

At that time, I was looking for natural wipes without alcohol content and which were fragrance-free. We get a lot of baby wipes in the market which is fragrance-free and soft, but finding a wipe made with natural ingredients is tough. Diaper rash is the most common concern for newborn babies and so, choosing a wipe which doesn’t irritate their skin is a challenge.

I am happy that today’s moms have a good option with Mother Sparsh as baby’s skin is 10 times more sensitive than adult skin.

Mother Sparsh Baby wipes are chemically proven to prevent diaper rash and they are made with 100% plant-based fabric. Now, the new mothers know better what to choose for their baby’s skin. You can purchase the water-based baby wipes on AmazonFirst cry and many other famous retailers.

Until next time,




23 November, 2018

Black Friday Book Blast and GiveAway

 photo BOOK BLAST_zpslw7xqh2e.png

WELCOME TO THE BLACK FRIDAY BLAST! 

Click on any of the below book covers to be taken to the page that has more information on the novel as well as the Buy Links!

Before you leave, don't forget to enter the Giveaway!







RABT Book Tours & PR





Until next time,


15 November, 2018

When Our Worlds Meet Again by Aniesha Brahma - Book Blitz

~ Book Blitz ~

When Our Worlds Meet Again by Aniesha Brahma

16th November 2018



About the Book:



Two years after the events of 'When Our Worlds Collide', Zayn and Akriti are now leading extremely different lives. Akriti has come back from her stint at the business school and running her mother's café. Zayn has run into trouble in his PhD program and has come home for a break. While he thinks that things are just as he’d left them two years ago, that is far from the truth. In a last ditch attempt to make Akriti remember the connection they had once shared, Zayn tries to recreate all their memories. But things are never the same when collided worlds meet again. 


Book Links:

Goodreads * Amazon


Read an Excerpt:




Prologue
2015.
Akriti was sitting at the cash counter
of her mother’s little café going over the expenses for the day. Her headphones
were plugged into her ears as she listened to songs on her phone. Her laptop
was propelled open in front of her as she made notes on what else needed to be
done the next day.
In the two years that she had been
gone, the café had not changed at all. Her mother had kept all the renovations
that Akriti and her colleagues had done two years ago. The only difference was
that now there was a bulletin board next to the chalkboard menu that had been
installed just a few weeks ago. On the bulletin board hung a poster that
announced that next week’s Poetry Slam would start at 6PM sharp, and Suzanna
needed to be contacted for early registration.
Akriti finished her work and shut down
her laptop. She looked around the café in grim satisfaction and let out a happy
little sigh. The music from her phone suddenly stopped playing. Glancing down
she saw that her phone had started buzzing, flashing a number she had not seen
on her phone in quite a while.
Debating for a minute, she received the
call.
“Hi, Zayn.”

Airports have seen more sincere kisses
than weddings it is said. As Zayn Banerjee waited to catch his flight back
home, he witnessed one too many couples bidding each other teary eyed goodbyes.
It was watching these strangers that he remembered how it had felt two years
ago when he had left his home behind in pursuit of higher studies. How he had
come to this alien land which had eventually led him to a lot of heartache and
misery!
But there had been something good about
those two years. There had been someone who had seen past all his imperfections
and focused only on the good that was in him. Who had been his friend against
all odds and yet, they had fallen out of touch with each other over the course
of two years. He wondered if she was still using the same number. He wondered
if she still had his number saved.
On an impulse, he pulled out his phone
and dialed her number. She answered it on the third ring.
“Hi, Zayn.”
“Akriti.”
He was pleased as punch that she
remembered him.
“Did you want something?”
“I am just calling to let you know that
I’d be home soon.”
“Oh.”
“Oh? Honestly, I was hoping for a
reaction better than oh.”
“Zayn, it’s really late here. Let’s
talk when you’re in town?”
“I’ll do you one better. I’ll come see
you.”
“Great. Safe flight.”
Then the line went dead. Zayn stared at
the phone, wondering if their friendship was lost over the course of time. This
wasn’t like the Akriti he remembered.
This wasn’t his Akriti at all.

Akriti hung up the phone feeling
utterly drained. Once upon a time this was a source of her happiness but
tonight he was a cause of her stress. The last thing she needed was for Zayn to
come barging into her life once more.
She remembered all the memories that
they had made together two years ago. The time when she’d finally felt okay to
let her guard down and just be herself. It seemed to her like it was a lifetime
ago. But he’d left. Like everyone else in her life and she had found herself
consumed by her loneliness. Going off to business school had only made Akriti
revert back to her old self.
That’s
a lie they tell you,
Akriti thought bitterly to herself, as she put her
headphones back on and started listening to music again, time doesn’t heal a
damn thing. It just burns the memories into your mind.

About the Author:

Aniesha Brahma knew she wanted to be a writer since she was six years old. She was schooled in Dolna Day School and went on to pursue B.A., M.A., and M.Phil in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur Univeristy. She currently lives in Kolkata, with her family and five pet cats. She is the author of All Signs Lead Back to You, When Our Worlds Collide, The Guitar Girl and The Secret Proposal. She compiled and edited the 10 volumes series, 'Children's Classic Stories' with love and great efforts.


Website * Twitter * Instagram * Facebook







Until next time,




13 November, 2018

Book Lovers, Here is a deal :-) - Literary Book Gifts

Hello to all the Book Lovers :-) Check out this website which is devoted to unique tote bags and bookish shirts for those who love to read. 

One more thing! my blog readers get a unique code and a discount of 20% on their order. Isn't it amazing?

I would love this tote bag - Hound of Baskerville, My favorite story :-)
And, of course, A Peter Pan T-Shirt!



Read more about Literary Book Gifts website from Melissa.


Gifts for Book Lovers!

Literary Book Gifts is an online store devoted to making unique tote bags and bookish shirts for authors, teachers, writers, and anyone who loves to read! The collection showcases designs inspired by classic literature, books, and authors.

I will talk about just a few of products available in the store today. All design work is done in-house. Just like no two books are alike, no two designs are alike.

Victor Hugo published The Hunchback of Notre Dame in the year 1831. Since then it has been read, reread, retold and adapted into countless plays and movies. When you look at this women's t-shirt you can tell immediately because of the shape of the graphic that it is a book cover. So when you wear it you are not only spreading your love of the particular book but of reading in general.


J. M. Barrie wrote some of today's most well-known characters in Peter Pan This t-shirt is meant to capture the essence of the novel and express the idea of flight. Each shirt comes in both a men's and women's version. They are made of cotton and come in a variety of colors and sizes.


A long time ago it was probably true that no writer was complete without their typewriter. Today we tend to use the keyboard and sometimes even a smart phone to write out our stories. This Typewriter Tote Bag is great for anyone who likes vintage styling and perhaps would like to carry a few books around.


The exclusive code FantasticFeathers20 can be entered at checkout for 20% off on your order! This coupon code does not expire and there is no minimum.

Written by Melissa Chan, designer of all things book related at Literary Book Gifts

Until next time,

12 November, 2018

The Hidden Children by Reshma K Barshikar - Release Day Blitz

~ Release Day Blitz ~
The Hidden Children (The Lost Grimoire #1)
by Reshma K.Barshikar

13th November 2018





About the Book:
‘What price would you pay to be extraordinary? What would you do to speak to a butterfly? 

Shayamukthy cruises through life: shooting hoops, daydreaming and listening to her favourite books. Even moving from the US to India, to a new school, a new culture, hasn't really rattled her. But something isn't right anymore and it begins when 'New Girl' joins the school.


She pulls Shui into a world of magic and wonderment, a world she has been hidden from all her life. What starts as a quest to look for a lost book, hurtles Shui into a world where people live in trees, talk to the dead and speak to butterflies.


But like all power, magic comes at a steep price, and under all things wondrous lie demons waiting to crawl out. The more Shui learns, the more she doubts everything and everyone around her. 


Will she be able to master her powers, or will they devour her and everyone she loves?



Order Your Copy from AMAZON now!


Read an Excerpt:

I think I am
ordinary. I lack purpose. Boohoo you think, typical teenager angst. But if I
died tomorrow, it wouldn’t impact anyone’s life except my parents’. My friends,
on the other hand, they have a life. See them there, yes there, to the right,
next to the banyan tree behind the basketball court. You see a slightly pudgy
boy and a beautiful girl? The boy’s name is Jai. The girl’s name is Nallini.
Both have purpose. Jai wants to write comic books. He wants to be like Neil
Gaiman or something, some famous comic-book guy. Nallini wants to be an
actress, the next Deepika Padukone – that, and to win next year’s gold medal in
Jujitsu.

She has absolutely no
problems reconciling the inherent contradictions in both her desires.

I want nothing, need
nothing, except something to need. I can’t see past today even to tomorrow; I
have a hard enough time figuring out what I am now. I am not from a broken
home, unless you count the fact that parts of the building I live in are
falling apart. I am not poor, not like Anuki Chabria who got called out of her
exam because her parents couldn’t pay her fees. I do not have acne bursting on
my face, making me look like a human cheese grater. I am just, well, ordinary.
So could you really blame me? Blame me for wanting to be special? Blame me for
wanting to be fierce? To be like Storm from the X-Men, or like Beyoncé? When I
look back now, at everything that has happened in the last few months, I
realise I’m just as much to blame as her. The big question – well, it’s not a
big question at all, really, because it’s all rubbish now, because you can’t go
back. Even I can’t go back. So the absurd question everyone around me
seems to asking is – would I have acted differently, would I rather NOT be the
person I am now?

No.


And neither would
you. What price wouldn’t you pay to be extraordinary, to ride the wind,
to float with unicorns, to be the one chosen...? Because, you see, I’ve gotten
into some serious trouble and want to explain myself. I didn’t mean for things
to happen. I didn’t mean for someone to die. So I ask you – wouldn’t you have
said yes if someone said – ‘Do you want to learn how to speak to a
butterfly?’ 


About the Author:

Travel writer and novelist Reshma K Barshikar is
an erstwhile Investment Banker who, as she tells it, ‘fell down a rabbit hole
and discovered a world outside a fluorescent cubicle.’ As a travel and features
writer, she contributes to National Geographic Traveller, Harper’s Bazaar,
Grazia, The Sunday Guardian, SilverKris, The Mint Lounge and The Hindu. Fade
Into Red, published by Random House India was her debut novel and featured in
Amazon Top 10 Bestsellers. She also holds well renowned workshops for young
adults at both BDL Museum and Kala Ghoda and is keen to build a strong Young
Adult reading and writing community to fill the desperate lack of young adult fiction
in the Indian Market. Her new Young Adult novel, The Hidden Children, will be
launching at the Vizag Junior Literary Festival. Reshma is from the ISB Class
of 2003. She calls both Mumbai and the Nilgiris home. 




Contact the Author:

Website I Facebook I Twitter I Goodreads




Until next time,





07 November, 2018

Freefall by Jana Williams - Guest Post

About the Book:

The deep-space transport ship, the Vera Rubin, is light years from Earth when botanist Elle Silver begins to question the use of their space-travel drug, HCH.  Elle notices a growing number of her friends and  fellow colonists awaken from their 90-day sleep cycles exhibiting a variety of negative side-effects and she begins to believe the drug is the culprit.  Some of the effects are minor, dry eyes and lack of appetite. Other symptoms are a bigger concern on a tiny ship packed with colonists.  With each sleep cycle completed, more and more colonists awaken both confused and barely concealing a simmering rage - rage that could be a catastrophe on a ship as crowded as the Vera Rubin.  Elle needs proof, but she also needs a plan. If the drug that allows them to travel deep-space is at fault, what then?  Elle and her friends Ashok, Achebe and Jin-Hai are pressed to their limits to find a solution to their problem before the ship erupts into chaos... with light years left to travel.







Find FREEFALL on Amazon.Com & Amazon.In




Guest Post:



As a guest writer for a post on books – I thought that rather than talk about my novel, FREEFALL per se…. readers like yourself might be interested in how the book came to be written. I think when we discover a book that really engages us, we begin to believe that writers are some mythical beings with a special ‘secret’ ingredient that allows them to write.



This could not be further from reality in my case and in many other writers’ lives too. The only ‘secret’ ingredient I might possess is a dogged determination to get my story onto the page. I learned determination and persistence from my mother. My mother also seeded in all her daughters an absolute love of reading and storytelling. Although, I continue to be the only writer in our immediate family, my sisters actively read books and even lead book club discussion groups too.



Growing up in a household of females (my father deserted us) was pivotal to my central attitude about life. I believe that there is very little that a determined girl or woman cannot accomplish. As a child, there was no one to tell me ‘girls can’t do that’ OR if my sisters did say it – I immediately set out to prove them wrong. This attitude is woven into the story of FREEFALL throughout the book.



The other tenant of the book is the importance of curiosity. I spent a fair bit of time alone as a child, poking into things, exercising my curiosity about how things worked, why they worked and even sometimes dismantling things to find out if I could make them work again. My single mother had very little extra money to fix toys that were broken or even buy new ones. So all of us girls became adept at putting dolls back together, or gluing tea sets that got broken or putting wheels back on wagons to get them working again.



In the book Elle reminds herself that curiosity is a good thing, it can lead to new ideas and discoveries of importance that might have gone unnoticed by others who never asked the question ‘Why?’ Asking yourself why and then setting out to find the answer can lead to amazing things. As you will see, Freefall reflects core values that I hold that women are smart, capable and caring - and can do almost anything if they try.



My own sense of adventure stems from my curiosity about life here, on this planet – which led to speculation about life – out there in another corner of the universe. Another core belief of mine is that you don’t have to have a degree from a university to write and write well. What you do need is the desire to tell an engaging story. The best place to learn how to do that is from inside a book where you can read, read, and read.



Once you’ve read a fair number of books, start mentally sorting them out into the ones you liked and the ones that were just okay – but not spellbinding. And finally, what about the books you didn’t like? Stack them up, and then start thinking about the ones you liked – What did they have in common? Do the same mental exercise with the books you didn’t like – What did they have in common? You will learn as much about writing from what you didn’t like – as from what you did. Once you know what you like in a book, you’re ready to start writing your own story.



It’s important to write something you would enjoy reading yourself, because if you’re writing a novel you’ll be spending days and weeks and months in the world you’re creating. So it better be a place that you look forward to visiting – you owe it to yourself to make it so. I truly loved every minute of writing Freefall. The editing portion was a challenge for me – because it is a bit like cleaning the house; necessary and important but certainly not thrilling to do.



Freefall came into being because I love good Science Fiction and Fantasy – and I hoped to write a story worthy of some that I have read. Also Freefall came into being because I was persistent enough to sit down every morning before going to work (and sometimes after work too) to continue writing Elle’s adventures with her friends. I would spend hours thinking about what would happen next, so that I would have a focus for the next days writing. And then, when I was done with the first draft, I willingly put in more time to fix the things that needed fixing to make the story more clear and uncluttered.



And of course you must be wondering, ‘Have I started the sequel?” Of course I have! I can’t wait to see what happens next in the Amalie Noether Chronicles. I hope you will join me in reading FREEFALL. Be assured - Elle’s adventures will continue in space in the next volume of the series





About the Author:

Jana Williams is certain that fiction can change people’s lives - especially women and girls.  Her own life is testimony to that fact.  One of five daughters, she was raised by a single-mom who placed a high value on reading and storytelling.



The ability to read, coupled with a child’s innate curiosity about the world, and access to books to satisfy that curiosity can offer significant opportunity to a child. Like most writers Jana has bounced from job to job, absorbing stories, cultures and customs as she worked.  She has been a high-speed motion picture photographer, a VFX coordinator, worked in the film industry, and the publishing trade as a book seller - a publisher’s rep and now an author.



But her first love is reading…. and with each book of the Freefall trilogy sold Jana will donate funds to Literacy agencies around the world whose work is to bring the joy of reading to others.



Enjoy a good adventure story and help others learn to read at the same time !



Find/Like Jana on Facebook  
Find Jana’s Writing advice - Twitter






Until next time,













Cordial Killing by Vikki Walton - Book Promo, Elderberry Cordial Recipe and GiveAway!




Marie’s Elderberry Cordial Recipe

Items Needed
·         Quart canning jar with lid
·         Funnel (large mouth)
·         Wooden spoon
·         Label or masking tape
·         Sharpie
·         Cheesecloth (optional)
·         Strainer (optional)
·         Decorative Bottle (optional)

Ingredients
Amounts needed
Comments
Elderberries
1.25 cup dried or 2 cups fresh
For fresh, remove from stems.
Brandy
3 cups
Can also use other alcohol but brandy is most commonly used.
Honey
¼ to ½ cup (or to taste)
Vegans or those who don’t have access to good local raw honey can substitute maple syrup. Acquiring local honey will provide your cordial with its own unique flavor.
Optional


Cinnamon stick
One
Flavor along with Antioxidants and Anti-Inflammatory properties
Rosehips
¼ cup
Extra Vitamin C
Ginger
1-2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
Flavor along with Antioxidants


Instructions
·         Place elderberries (and any optional ingredients, if using) into quart jar.
·         Cover with brandy.
·         Add honey.
·         Stir with wooden spoon or put lid on and shake.
·         Place in dark, cool space (usually a cabinet will do) for three to four weeks.
·         If desired, strain with cheesecloth and using a strainer, put into a decorative bottle.
·         Or you can leave ingredients in jar.
·         In winter take 1-2 tbsp daily for immune-boosting. If ill, take 3-4 tbsp (basically a shot glass) a few times a day until symptoms improve. This cordial can also be used as a base for poor-tasting tinctures such as osha.
·         Can last for a year with fresh berries and longer if made with dried berries—if you have it that long!


Notes
Elderberry is a wonderful plant to have in your yard or on your property. It has many medicinal benefits and uses. The elderberry plant most commonly associated with immune-boosting and flu-fighting properties is the dark berry plant (Elderberry Sambucus Nigra). Elder flower is also used in elixirs, teas and food.  Elder was the International Herb Association’s Herb of the Year in 2013. It’s usually harvested in September.

This Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.


Cordial Killing (A Backyard Farming Mystery Series—Book Two) www.vikkiwalton.com



GiveAway:


a Rafflecopter giveaway




Until next time,

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