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Showing posts from November, 2020

Laxmi's Mooch

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  A joyful, body-positive picture book about a young Indian American girl's journey to accept her body hair and celebrate her heritage after being teased about her mustache. Laxmi never paid much attention to the tiny hairs above her lip. But one day while playing farm animals at recess, her friends point out that her whiskers would make her the perfect cat. She starts to notice body hair all over--on her arms, legs, and even between her eyebrows. With her parents' help, Laxmi learns that hair isn't just for heads, but that it grows everywhere, regardless of gender. Featuring affirming text by Shelly Anand and exuberant, endearing illustrations by Nabi H. Ali,  Laxmi's Mooch  is a celebration of our bodies and our body hair, in whichever way they grow. My Review This is a cute book. Laxmi is so sweet. I loved how her mom gave her some good examples of women that have mooches...Mughai empresses, rani, her nana, cousin, and mom. Laxmi asked about her eyebrows having hair

Serpent Rising

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Serena Mendez is haunted and she is hunted… SERPENT RISING By Victor Acquista Serena Mendez is haunted and she is hunted… … Haunted by trauma—terrified and scarred as a young child, when a secret initiation into an ancient order of Lightbringers went horribly wrong. Unaware of the power latent in her blood, she is haunted by a life out of sync with her true identity. At twenty-one, she is abrasive, jobless, in debt, and addicted to sedatives. Haunted by her past, she knows nothing of her destiny. … Hunted by an enemy—ruthless and powerful, a Brotherhood that has been pitted against the Luminarian Sects for thousands of years. An ancient struggle continues—The War of the Two Serpents—a saga extending back to the dawn of civilization, to the time of the second breaking, when the elite sought dominion over the masses. Those serving truth and light opposed these dark forces. In return they were persecuted, burned as witches, suppressed and nearly defeated by the powers of dark

5,203 Things to Do Instead of Looking at Your Phone

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  Because life is calling.   Put down your phone, close the lid on your laptop, and get back in touch with the wonders of the world around you. With thousands of ideas for simple, beautiful things to do instead of scrolling down the rabbit hole of cyberspace, this healing little book offers the opportunity, 5,203 times, to slow down, look up, and rediscover what makes you feel nourished and grounded as a human being. With illustrations throughout by Scot Ritchie. And here are some ideas from the book to get you started: Smile at a stranger Put a bag in your car for litter Write a letter to your future self Plan a 24-hour liquid diet Notice the air on your skin Do calligraphy for a party invitation Go for a silent drive Make an accordion book Plan a beach day Visit a botanical garden  Keep a journal of the most beautiful things you see Talk to someone who needs company Design a book cover Watch a cat drink or eat My Review This is a fun guide book. During the current state of events in

Pretending

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  Pretending : A Novel  Holly Bourne On Sale Date: November 17, 2020 9780778331506, 0778331504 Trade Paperback $17.99 USD 416 pages ABOUT THE BOOK: In this hilarious and heartbreaking debut novel perfect for fans of Fleabag, a woman struggling to move on after a traumatic relationship pretends to be “the perfect girl” in an act of vengeance that goes awry when she finds herself emotionally compromised. He said he was looking for a 'partner in crime' which everyone knows is shorthand for 'a woman who isn't real'. April is kind, pretty, and relatively normal - yet she can't seem to get past date five. Every time she thinks she's found someone to trust, they reveal themselves to be awful, leaving her heartbroken. And angry. Until she realizes that what men are really looking for is Gretel. Gretel is perfect - beautiful but low maintenance, sweet but never clingy, sexy but not a slut. She's a Regular Everyday Manic Pixie Dream Girl Next Door With No Problems

Love and Honor

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  Jessica thought she was prepared to be married to a soldier, but with each deployment, Danny pulled further and further away, and she felt her love hadn’t been enough. Even his best friend, Anton couldn’t seem to reach him. Before his last deployment, Danny told Anton to always take care of Jessica, as if he knew his fate. When Danny returns home in a casket, the guilt of not being able to save him comes crashing down on them both. And for Anton, he carries the guilt of always loving Jessica but keeping those feelings to himself. Can Anton honor Danny’s request and convince Jessica to cast aside their guilt in order to turn their friendship into love? My Review I liked this short story from author, Laura M. Baird. While, there is chemistry shared between Jessica and Anton, it was just a sliver featured in this story. The moment(s) were short and brief. Although, it was enough to allow me to imagine Jessica and Anton settling down and having a good life together.  I think any reader w

What is Nourish?

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  Popular documentaries like The Game Changers and Forks Over Knives have caused many adults to be curious about the benefits of a plant-based diet.  Nourish is an evidence-based, practical resource that explores the many benefits of a plant-based diet and provides parents with the tools they need to provide excellent and balanced nutrition to their families.  A proper, nutritious diet leads to healthier children. While nearly all parents agree, most feel that their children are not eating a healthy diet. This is not surprising, given the difficulties of navigating the nutritional landmines fueled by busy schedules, and confusing research about what diet is really best for health. Further, do the same rules for adults apply to growing minds and bodies? In Nourish, parents will learn: How a diet centered around plants can optimize health, prevent chronic disease, care for our planet, and be an act of radical compassion. Nutrition specifics for all the stages of childhood—from pregnancy

The Love Note

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  Focused on a career in medicine and not on romance, Willa Duvall is thrown slightly off course during the summer of 1865 when she discovers a never-opened love letter in a crack of her old writing desk. Compelled to find the passionate soul who penned it and the person who never received it, she takes a job as a nurse at the seaside estate of Crestwicke Manor. Everyone at Crestwicke has feelings—mostly negative ones—about the man who wrote the letter, but he seems to have disappeared. With plenty of enticing clues but few answers, Willa's search becomes even more complicated when she misplaces the letter and it passes from person to person in the house, each finding a thrilling or disheartening message in its words.  Laced with mysteries large and small, this romantic Victorian-era tale of love lost, love deferred, and love found is sure to delight. My Review I was looking forward to reading this book. While, it started out slowly for me, I kept reading as I did like the lovely t

Eat a Peach

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  In 2004, Momofuku Noodle Bar opened in a tiny, stark space in Manhattan’s East Village. Its young chef-owner, David Chang, worked the line, serving ramen and pork buns to a mix of fellow restaurant cooks and confused diners whose idea of ramen was instant noodles in Styrofoam cups. It would have been impossible to know it at the time—and certainly Chang would have bet against himself—but he, who had failed at almost every endeavor in his life, was about to become one of the most influential chefs of his generation, driven by the question, “What if the underground could become the mainstream?”   Chang grew up the youngest son of a deeply religious Korean American family in Virginia. Graduating college aimless and depressed, he fled the States for Japan, hoping to find some sense of belonging. While teaching English in a backwater town, he experienced the highs of his first full-blown manic episode, and began to think that the cooking and sharing of food could give him both purpose and

Cry Wolf

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  Mack Macklin thinks he can’t go any lower. Getting a beatdown from a giant wearing bright yellow yoga pants proves he can. When his buddy from better days offers him a job, he jumps at the chance. A couple of days out of town and cash to keep his bookie’s enforcer off his back, all in return for a puff piece on an old lady who thinks she saw a werewolf. What could go wrong? Turns out, a lot. Mack is a skeptic’s skeptic, trained to look at everything through the critical eye of a veteran reporter, but even he can’t explain the pack of hairy man-beasts that attack him. They leave him near death, which is a damn sight better than local residents seem to be faring.  Can he find the silver bullet of truth, or is it time to  Cry Wolf ? The Mack Macklin Mysteries  follow a disgraced, and morally degenerate, reporter as he dodges debts, investigates the unbelievable, and rips the masks off the bad guys. Get on the Mack bus today to meet the new face of pulp fiction. My Review I liked this bo