Robbie Cheadle's Blog, page 17

Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon #2024HoHoHoRAT

Picture caption: Banner for the Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon

Thank you to Carla from Carla Loves to Read blog for introducing me to this Readathon. I rarely read seasonable books but seeing as I had a few on my TBR, I decided there was no time like the present to read and review them.

This is the information:

Grab Your Winter & Holiday Reads…

From November 21st through December 2nd, you are invited to enjoy as many holiday & winter books or listens as you can. Along the way, take part in the challenges, meet new friends and have fun! Be sure to use the hashtag #2024HoHoHoRAT so participants can cheer you on!

Make sure you pop over the Kimberly’s post to find out about the various challenges and activities you can participate in to win a prize. Just sign up at the linky and your will eligible to enter the giveaways. I am an elf again this year, so I hope to see lots of you enter my giveaway.

Carla is also an elf and you can find her Elf post here: https://carlalovestoread.wordpress.com/2024/11/19/hohohorat-mini-challenge-share-a-holiday-recipe

I am going to share a recipe from Michael and my Christmas Sir Chocolate book – Yay!

Today, I am sharing two of my four Christmas reads for this readathon.

Miracles and Ghosts: A Christmas Collection by D.L. FinnPicture caption: Cover of Miracles and Ghosts featuring presents under a Christmas treeWhat Amazon says

Miracles and Ghosts: A Christmas Collection’s eight tales bring light in the darkest of circumstances. In the novelette, A Perfect Ghostly Christmas, Julie has survived the foster care system and finally comes home. She now owns her grandparents’ house and has received an offer that appears too good to be true. On top of that, the family she felt had abandoned her during her difficult times has reentered her life. But it’s the otherworldly experiences that lead her to something her grandparents left behind. This discovery changes everything and opens a door to danger. The seven short stories explore fractured families, a widower’s loneliness, a mall shooting, financial struggles, strained relationships, woodland kittens, and a woman haunted by a red truck. Whether it’s a ghost, an angel, or Santa, some unseen force is there to provide help when needed. A reminder in the busy holiday season or anytime we are never alone, and miracles are possible.

My review

Miracles and Ghosts is a delightfully uplifting Christmas read comprising of a novella and seven short stories.

I loved the novella. It was long enough for me to become very fond of the main character, Julie, who had lost her family effectively three times. The last time was particularly bitter due to the conniving of the ruthless and greedy people involved and their deliberate and planned destructive actions. I appreciate how the author draws clear parallels between her ‘good’ characters and her ‘evil’ characters and I think it works especially well for a Christmas collection. I also liked how the ghostly presences in the book are all positive forces and extensions of the love the deceased people had for their surviving relatives. It is wonderful to think that our loved ones look after us from beyond the veil, especially at Christmas when we miss them the most. This story takes the well worn path of a sad and destroyed life back to a fulfilled and happy life, but brings lots of beautiful scenes and delightful characters to the party to make it unique and enjoyable. A beautiful story.

The short stories are all delightful with meaningful, if not always traditionally happy, endings. I loved A Man and His Cat and enjoyed how the sad thread running through the story worked out well at the end. It was uplifting and satisfying.

The Red Truck took me a while to get my head around and it takes an unusual writing format. Once I understood how the story telling worked, I thought it was a brilliant concept and I enjoyed the story very much.

This is a lovely collection and would make a wonderful addition to any reader’s Christmas reading list.

Amazon US purchase link for Miracles and Ghosts: A Christmas Collection: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DDWFNR1D

Book of Angels by Judy MastrangeloPicture caption: cover of Book of Angels featuring one of the authors amazing child angels. What Amazon says

Learn all about angels with this great new children’s book from noted painter Judy Mastrangelo! “Book of Angels” is a beautifully creative, traditional children’s book filled with illustrations your children will love. Who doesn’t love angels? Read along and learn with your children as you delve into a magical fairytale world of make believe and wonder!

My review

This book comprises a delightful collection of poems about angels illustrated with Judy Mastrangelo’s amazing illustrations.

The illustrations are gorgeous, vivid and colourful, and will capture any child’s imagination. The messaging is positive and uplifting.

Adults can also enjoy this beautiful book. My favourite poem in the collection is called The Little Angel and this is the extract:

“This Little Angel represents the Child in all of us.
All we have to do is reach inside our Souls,
and therein dwells
our Youth, Dreams and Aspirations.
If you keep in touch with your “Child Angel”,
you have a Key to Eternal Happiness.”

This book would make an extraordinary addition to any child’s Christmas stocking.

Purchase Book of Angels from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PMBII7E

Robbie’s Inspiration – Reblog: Guest post about Why Elephants Matter?

Thank you to talented and prolific children’s book author, Darlene Foster, for sharing this post about Why Elephants Matter as part of my Sesi says goodbye to Granny book blog tour.

Darlene has a delightful blog where she shares lots of interesting information about her own travels and doings. She also shares news about her wonderful children’s book series starring Amanda’s, who travels to different cities and countries and always finds an adventure waiting for her.

Let’s Talk About Elephants – Why Elephants Matter?

Robbie’s Inspiration – Reblog: Meet poet Maggie Watson and a review of Pieces of Me, A collection of poems

Thank you to talented poet, Maggie Watson, for being my Treasuring Poetry guest today. Maggie writes deep and emotional poetry and I have included my review of her latest book, Pieces of Me, A collection of poems.

Thanks for hosting, Kaye Lynne Booth.

Treasuring Poetry – Meet poet Maggie Watson and a review of Pieces of Me, A collection of poems #TreasuringPoetry #poetrycommunity #bookreview

Robbie’s Inspiration – Tanka Tuesday, W3 and Sunday Stills #poetry #photography

W3 #133

Carol Anne’s prompt is as follows:

Form: Write either 1) a haiku, 2) a tanka, or 3) a senryu;*Click* here to learn about haiku;*Click* here to learn about senryu;*Click* here to learn about tanka;Must include: the word “strength”

You can join in here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2024/11/13/w3-prompt-133-weave-written-weekly/

I wrote a tanka of a slightly different type.

The Advertisement

Required: Mental Strength

Determination a plus

Role: New parenting

Pay: Unconditional love

Perk: It can be done in pairs

Tanka Tuesday

Willow’s prompt is as follows:

Chose a piece of music.The music can have lyrics or not as you choose.The music can be of any genre.Then write a syllabic poem about how the music either makes you feel or what it suggests to you.

You can join in here:

#TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge, Music Inspires, 12 November, 2024

I have written an etheree, and yes, Michael’s music is discordant to me and literally hurts my ears in comparison to the soft and expressive music I like.

Opposites don’t attract

Soft

Music

Uplifting

Noninvasive

Promotes concentration

Opposite to pulsing beats

Loved by hormonal teenagers

Who release emotion through moving

To discordant, jarring cacophonies

This is the song I chose as the inspiration for my poem:

Sunday Stills

Terri’s Sunday Still’s challenge colours are brown and auburn. I’m sharing a few animal pictures for you to enjoy.

Picture caption: A warthog on the run. They are always on the run.Picture caption: A lucky shot of a tree squirrel in the bushPicture caption: Two young warthog also know as bush snacks or pigs in blankets for lions – hehe!Picture caption: African painted wild dogPicture caption: African Cape Buffalo

You can join in Sunday Stills here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2024/11/17/sunday-stills-monthly-color-challenge-the-earth-laughs-in-brown-and-auburn/

Robbie’s Inspiration – Jose Pizarro “Basque” cookbook review and a recipe #cooking

Jo from https://brookfordkitchendiaries.wordpress.com/2024/10/27/bkd-cookbook-club/ has taken over the cookbook club and today I am sharing my first cookbook review for this new season. The book selected by the group is Jose Pizarro “Basque”.

Picture caption for the cover of Jose Pizarro “Basque”My thoughts on the book

This is not a book I would ordinarily have picked up as it uses a lot of ingredients that I would not usually buy and that are not readily available at the stores where I shop, for example duck, pork trotters, partridge, rabbit, and quail. For this same reason, I struggled to find a recipe that my family would enjoy and for which I could get the ingredients.

The only suitable recipe was for Sukalki – A typical beef ragu. This recipe was similar to Hungarian goulash and is adjusted for the ingredients I could purchase locally.

Ingredients

1,5 kg beef short rib and beef blade (I couldn’t get beef shin per the original recipe) seasoned with black pepper and salt to taste

2 medium onions, diced

3 medium carrots, chopped

150 ml good quality brandy

30 ml paprika

2 large pepperoni peppers, diced

750 ml beef stock

1 kg peeled and chopped medium potatoes (I cut into quarters)

200 g fresh shelled peas

Method

Brown the beef short ribs and beef blade in a little olive oil and remove from pot. Add the onion, carrot, and peppers and cook until the onion is transparent. Add the brandy and allow the alcohol to burn off. Add back the meat and the paprika. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Turn down and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer for a further 60 minutes.

Serve with rice.

My family enjoyed this meal and said it was tasty.

You can find the recipes from other participants here: https://brookfordkitchendiaries.wordpress.com/2024/11/15/basque-by-jose-pizarro/

Robbie’s Inspiration – Reblog: Guest post about African Elephants and climate change

I am visiting terrific Australian blogger, AC Flory, today with a post about Elephants and Climate Change. If you don’t know Meeka’s Mind blog do take a look around. AC Flory shares fascinating videos, many of which she creates, and all sorts of interesting point of view posts. She also has some great books which you’ll find in the side bar.

African Elephants, by Robbie Cheadle

Robbie’s Inspiration – Reblog: Read and Cook with Robbie Cheadle

Today’s post is a celebration of America’s entrance into WW2 and a tribute to all the lives that were lost in the Pacific. I have reviewed To Wake the Giant: A Novel of Pearl Harbor and shared a recipe for American crabcakes.

Thanks for hosting, Kaye Lynne Booth.

Read and Cook with Robbie Cheadle – To Wake the Giant: A Novel of Pearl Harbor and American Crabcakes #bookreview #cooking #crabcakes

Robbie’s Inspiration – W3 #132: Dark and Light and Sunday Stills, Cosy #poetry #photography

Sheila’s prompt guidelinesForm: Any poetic form;Length: Exactly 64 words;Must include: the words “dark” and “light” in any form

You can join in W3 here: https://skepticskaddish.com/2024/11/06/w3-prompt-132-weave-written-weekly/

Open the curtains

Darkness creeps across the sky

Shadows lengthen and deepen

Within their inky confines

Demons gibber and threaten

Open the curtains, let in the light

***

Beneath the trees canopy

It’s poorly lit and humid

Moss and fungi thrive

Insects from nightmares breed

Open the curtains, let in the light

***

Shadows are created by an absence of light

Open the curtains, let in the light

Sunday Stills

Terri’s theme this week is cozy.

Picture caption: A male weaver builds a cozy nestPicture caption: A warthog in an aardvark hole at night. I love this pictureTiny gingerbread cottages

You can join in Sunday Stills here: https://secondwindleisure.com/2024/11/10/sunday-stills-a-cozy-refuge/

Robbie’s Inspiration – Reblog: Hotel by Masticadores: The Creative World of Robbie Cheadle

my thanks to Michelle from Hotel by Masticadores for sharing this wonderful interview about my work

“The Creative World of Robbie Cheadle: An Interview with a Versatile Storyteller”

Robbie’s Inspiration – Book reviews: A Spooky Tale: A walk with our teacher and All the Words I Kept Inside #childrensfiction #poetry

Today, I have two lovely book reviews to share with you. The first one is a children’s book and the second a poetry collection.

A Spooky Tale: A walk with our teacher by Sue WicksteadPicture caption: Cover of A Spooky Tale: A walk with our teacher

This book is a delight for young children. The teacher takes the class out for a walk and they run into a myriad of different situations populated by strange and mythical creatures. These are all reasons why the class doesn’t feel well.

The story is told in vivid but simple language suitable for young children and the illustrations are wonderful.

The ebook was not the best way to read this book as, on my reader, it showed the book as a double spread which didn’t do justice to the illustrations and made the text more difficult to read. The best way to read a children’s book is as a paperback.

Purchase A Spooky Tale: A walk with our teacher here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CP9Q4JQ

All the Words I Kept Inside by P.J. Gudka (Poetry)Picture caption: Cover of All the Words I Kept Inside by P.J. Gudka

I came across this poetry book by accident and the blurb interested me greatly. It astonishes me how many women, in this modern 21st century, still suffer abuse at the hands of various men in their lives. The more I read, the more grateful I am for my own life.

These poems are incredibly heartfelt and gut wrenching. You will not come away from the book untouched and that makes it a very powerful tool for the education of both men and women. The poet has a profound way of viewing life and seeing her situation with clarity. This, of course, does not mean it is easy to make changes.

These are a few short examples of the poet’s powerful writing:

Stop Running
“I spent my whole life running
From my problems
Why did it take me so long to realise
They were running with me”

The following poem is one that I, as a neurodivergent person, can identify strongly with. It is my favourite poem in the collection:

Be Yourself (But Our Version Of You)
“Trying to be myself
In a world that worships uniformity
I am torn between wanting to be accepted
And wanting to be happy
Trying so hard to break free
Of the chains of societal norms
Fighting every day to be me
But still wanting to keep everyone else happy”

This poem makes me wonder why our society is so hellbent on uniformity, when it is the diverse thinkers who make the changes and discoveries that improve our world. Was it always like this?

A beautifully written and striking collection of vivid poems, illustrated with the most gorgeous drawings. Congratulations to the author on a visual and mental artwork.

Purchase All the Words I Kept Inside from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/All-Words-I-Kept-Inside-ebook/dp/B0D42BHQQ8