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Book Review: Pippa Park Raises Her Game

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In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I can’t stop talking about “Pippa Park”, a middle grade retelling of Dickens’ “Great Expectations, with a Korean-American main character! I adored the book, and loved learning about the rich Korean culture!
Pippa Park Raises Her Game by Erin Yun
Pippa Park Raises Her Game
by Erin Yun (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars


When Pippa Park gets a basketball scholarship to a fancy private school, she feels pressured to pretend like she’s rich and cool so that she can fit in with her elite classmates. But how long can she keep up the farce, when her Korean family owns a laundromat and Pippa barely has money to buy a slice of pizza at the school cafeteria? With her grades slipping and her relationships in turmoil, Pippa begins to realize that some of her new friends have family secrets of their own.

This retelling of Dicken’s “Great Expectations” is utterly brilliant from start to finish!

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Book Review: Deeplight

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Deeplight by Frances Hardinge
Deeplight
by Frances Hardinge

3.5 stars out of 5 stars
Hark is a conman and a thief. When his best friend, Jelt, convinces him to try a dangerous diving stunt, Hark finds the ancient heart of a dead god and tries to use it to heal Jelt. But the heart is deceitful and begins to change Jelt into a monster.

I liked the deep characters in this book. They are well-written with interesting personalities. The relationships between the characters are deliciously emotional and complex. I especially loved the character development! Several of the characters change and grow and learn. Their relationships change. Their views and beliefs change. It’s wonderful to see the internal journey that they go on, and how their relationships with each other either help or hinder them on that journey.
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Non-Fiction Review: Aromatherapy and Essential Oils for Healing

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Aromatherapy and Essential Oils for Healing by Amber Robinson
Aromatherapy and Essential Oils for Healing: 120 Remedies to Restore Mind, Body, and Spirit
by Amber Robinson

5 out of 5 stars


This book begins with information about aromatherapy and common essential oils and how to use them safely. The remedies and recipes are divided into sections for Emotional Healing, Physical Healing, and Beauty and Wellness.

I like how it goes in-depth about how essential oils work and how they can promote healing in various areas if used properly. There is also a lot of good advice about how to choose a reliable brand of essential oils, and what different terminology means, and how to properly dilute the oils to be safe for use. There are lists of common essential oils, carrier oils, and hydrosols, and suggested substitutions and uses for each one. There is a wealth of information about each essential oil, including their healing properties, and precautions for safe use. Continue reading →

Book Review: Celtic Mythology for Kids

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Celtic Mythology for Kids by Christopher Pinard
Celtic Mythology for Kids: Tales of Selkies, Giants, and the Sea
by Christopher Pinard

5 out of 5 stars

I love these fairy tales from Celtic myths! They are retold in a simple manner for children, and each tale is between 3-7 pages long. The tales use a few Irish and Scottish words, but they are explained and there is even a glossary of Celtic words in the back of the book. I love how the rich Celtic culture is celebrated in this book!

The stories themselves are wonderfully interesting and full of magic and history! At the end of each story, there are some questions to prompt discussion and get the reader thinking about the choices made by the characters in the story. Continue reading →

Non Fiction Review: A Year of Mindfulness for Beginners

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A Year of Mindfulness for Beginners by Lee Papa
A Year of Mindfulness for Beginners: Daily Mantras, Meditations, and Prompts
by Lee Papa (Goodreads Author)

2 out of 5 stars


This book includes inspirational quotes from famous people like Nikola Tesla and Eleanor Roosevelt. I really loved these interesting quotes from a wide variety of people!

Most of the meditation prompts and guidance in this book are innocent reminders to release stress, focus on what is important, believe in yourself, and allow yourself to relax. But sometimes there will be a weird one that made me wonder about the underlying philosophy that is being taught in this book. It is very focused on self, and talks about an “Eternal Consciousness”. There is an entire chapter about interpreting your dreams that sounded completely idiotic to me.

There is a lot of talk about “creating your own reality” and other strange ideas. (Reality is reality. You can change your perception of it or how you think about it, but what is real is real. You don’t create it. It just is.) While reading, I would just try to enjoy the normal meditations and mindfulness prompts, and skip over the weird ones.
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Non Fiction Review: Family Cookbook Recipe Journal

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Family Cookbook Recipe Journal by Rockridge Press
Family Cookbook Recipe Journal: A Blank Recipe Book for Family Favorites
by Rockridge Press

5 out of 5 stars

This blank recipe journal is perfect for writing in all your favorite family recipes! It’s divided into color-coded sections that you can label any way you want. You could organize the sections by which family member submits the recipe, or by the type of recipe, or by the time it takes to cook.

Each section has a title page where you can write in the title you have chosen for that group of recipes, and a contents page where you write in the page numbers for each individual recipe in that section. The contents page makes it easy to find any recipe you need!

Each page has a colorful design with a place for the title of the recipe, a list of ingredients, prep time, cook time, how many servings it makes, and plenty of room for instructions and notes.

I just love the colors and the designs throughout this book. There are simple illustrations of cooking utensils, pots and pans, salt and pepper shakers, oven mitts, tea pots, and all sorts of cute things. There is also a measurement conversion chart at the back of the book for easy use!

The construction of the book is quite sturdy as well, to withstand a few generations of cooks spilling things in the kitchen. The pages are a little thicker than normal, and the cover is thick for a paperback too.

I can’t wait to start writing in some favorite recipes!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Non Fiction Review: Weight Training for Women

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Weight Training for Women by Brittany Noelle
Weight Training for Women: Exercises and Workout Programs for Building Strength with Free Weights
by Brittany Noelle

4 out of 5 stars

This book gives excellent advice for beginners about how to plan a weight training program for yourself. It talks about the benefits of weight training, how to stay safe and avoid injuries, how to set fitness goals for yourself, and the importance of warm-up and cool-down exercises. There is some advice about nutrition, how to incorporate cardio into your fitness plan, and how to track your progress.
There is an entire chapter just about the equipment and proper gym etiquette. You can also set up a gym at home with the guidelines in this book.
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Non Fiction Review: The Hand Lettering Workbook

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The Hand Lettering Workbook by Amanda Kammarada
The Hand Lettering Workbook: Step-by-Step Instructions, Practice Pages, and DIY Projects
by Amanda Kammarada

5 out of 5 stars

This book is perfect for lettering beginners who want to be more creative and artistic! The instructions are clear and everything is demonstrated step by step. I really love that all the different elements of handwriting are analysed and explained in detail. They explain each component like down-strokes and up-strokes, letter height, the weight of pressure on the pen, and those little brackets that stick out from the ends of the letters (which are called “serifs”). There is also an extensive list of materials that are good to use, like types of pens and markers, paper thickness, and watercolors.

I love that there are so many practice pages in this book! They really break down each lettering style into simple components and then give you a chance to practice each pen stroke separately before putting it all together. The book teaches both blocked and calligraphy styles, and then you can get creative with making the style into your own unique handwriting. Continue reading →

Activity Book Review: Ocean and Zoo Animals

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Ocean Animals by Bethanie HestermannZoo Animals by Bethanie Hestermann

Zoo Animals: A Search and Find Book for Kids
Ocean Animals: A Search and Find Book for Kids
by Bethanie Hestermann , Josh Hestermann(Authors), Sara Lynn Cramb (Illustrator)
4 out of 5 stars

These search and find books have tons of wonderful facts and information about the ocean and zoo! The illustrations are colorful and vibrant with all those tiny details to look for in the scenery. The ocean scenes cover a multitude of areas, including tide pools, coral reefs, arctic oceans, shipwrecks, the deep sea, and swamp lands.  The zoo scenes include African plains, jungles, Asian mountains, the Amazon, Arctic tundra, and deserts around the world.

Each page is loaded with factoids and interesting information about ocean and zoo creatures, and a sample picture of what to look for in the scene. There are ocean facts about mammals, fish, coral, plants, crustaceans, sea birds, and even geological formations found in the ocean like thermal vents.  The zoo animals include reptiles, bugs, endangered animals, nocturnal animals, and mammals and birds of all kinds.

The only thing I didn’t like is how the colors tend to blend in with each other, making it more difficult to see what you are searching for, and a lot of the items are half hidden behind other things, making it difficult to find them. I wouldn’t recommend this for little kids, but ages 7-10 would enjoy the challenge.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.