Harmony Kent's Blog, page 9
July 25, 2023
#BookReview: Watching You by Lisa Jewell @lisajewelluk #MysteryThriller #Mystery #Suspense #Fiction #GoodReads #Kindle
Hi everyone. Today I have a book review for you by an author new to me but well known (just not to me! 
), Lisa Jewel. Here’s my review >>>
About the Book:
Melville Heights is one of the nicest neighbourhoods in Bristol, England; home to doctors and lawyers and old-money academics. It’s not the sort of place where people are brutally murdered in their own kitchens. But it is the sort of place where everyone has a secret. And everyone is watching you.
As the headmaster credited with turning around the local school, Tom Fitzwilliam is beloved by one and all—including Joey Mullen, his new neighbor, who quickly develops an intense infatuation with this thoroughly charming yet unavailable man. Joey thinks her crush is a secret, but Tom’s teenaged son Freddie—a prodigy with aspirations of becoming a spy for MI5—excels in observing people and has witnessed Joey behaving strangely around his father.
One of Tom’s students, Jenna Tripp, also lives on the same street, and she’s not convinced her teacher is as squeaky clean as he seems. For one thing, he has taken a particular liking to her best friend and fellow classmate, and Jenna’s mother—whose mental health has admittedly been deteriorating in recent years—is convinced that Mr. Fitzwilliam is stalking her.
Meanwhile, twenty years earlier, a schoolgirl writes in her diary, charting her doomed obsession with a handsome young English teacher named Mr. Fitzwilliam…
My Review:
A Gripping Story with Plenty of Twists to keep you Guessing!
‘I don’t know what to think. I don’t know what to feel. Is this normal?’ … From this highly relatable opening line, the author pulls the reader into a world of what ifs, maybes, rumours, suspicion, and–eventually–unravels the twisted threads to reveal the unexpected truth.
This novel has some wonderful one liners and phrases, and is certainly attention grabbing, yet it lets itself down time and again with the massive overuse of ‘literally’, which LITERALLY drove me nuts! Along with that, we also get treated to lots of ‘very’ usage and every speaker over uses ‘just’ in their dialogue. If this were one character, it would be a quirk, but ALL OF THEM? … Give me a break. Due to this and clumsy sentences, such as: ‘The manager was a big, butch woman with a crew cut called Dawn.’ … I’m certain the manager is called Dawn and not the crew cut! Likewise with: ‘She was necking wine in a floaty top.’ Once again, I’m certain the woman wore the floaty top rather than the wine being in the floaty top! And this is to show but two of such sentence formations. A few spelling errors have slipped in as well. All of which lost a lot of points for me. Together with passive writing, much of this ripped me right out of the make-believe, and quite violently at times.
However, with all of that said, the story premise, plot, pacing, characters, and world building are all done so well you feel as though you are right there next to the many characters from whose point of view the tale is told. The narrative delivers multiple POVs, each with their own clear sections, and written in past tense. Here are some lines I loved …
‘… she said, her heart not reaching her words.’
And …
‘He thought of the smell of old beer coming off him this morning, the sour smell of secrets and lies.’
And …
‘Jenna ached to say, Me Too, and draw the line and make things good. But she couldn’t do it. The words were too deeply buried under piles of other stuff for her to quite reach them.’
Despite the passive writing and often clumsy clause arrangements, I loved this read. I never saw the culprit coming. Great penultimate twist and a wholly believable motive. Watching You by Lisa Jewel gets a soft 4 stars from me. With extra polishing, I’d give a resounding 5 stars. If you love a suspenseful mystery thriller with plenty of twists and an ending you don’t see coming, then go and read this book!
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by 
***Due to limited energy and time, I will be taking a break from publishing review posts for the foreseeable future. Thank you for following my reviews all this time! Now and then, I will post a review for any authors in my online circle, but won’t be reviewing traditionally published books. I’ll pop in from time to time with updates and teasers on my planned projects. Hugs, Harmony 
The post #BookReview: Watching You by Lisa Jewell @lisajewelluk #MysteryThriller #Mystery #Suspense #Fiction #GoodReads #Kindle first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.
July 18, 2023
#BookReview: Poetry for the Blind by Atmos #Poetry #Change
Hi everyone. Today I have a book review for you for a poetry book by an author new to me, known simply as ‘Atmos’. Here’s my review >>>
About the Book:
How often do we reflect on the life we are living or the kind of future we are heading towards as a species?
The way that we think of the world shapes the world that we live in and how we interact with it.
Poetry for the Blind is a collection of poems about issues in the world, philosophy, consciousness, raising awareness of gratitude, promoting positive change, and concerns for the future of humanity.
Through poetry, this book offers readers a way to explore the human condition through the eyes of the author and reflect on issues affecting the collective consciousness residing in human lives on a mass scale. Through turmoil and devastating circumstances, Poetry for the Blind progresses towards a sense of possibility and hope for a positive future—a future that we can still have.
We have the power to change the world but we have to start with ourselves first.
My Review:
Essential poetry about world issues and positive change
First of all, the title doesn’t mean what you might think it means; at least, not in a literal sense. Secondly, this is the sort of poetry everyone should read. This wonderful opening quote says it all: ‘The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.’
As the author says, ‘This book of poetry was written in response to all of the injustices and commonly accepted perceptions which are ingrained in our society.’
I couldn’t agree more with the following statement: ‘What we do to someone else, we also do to ourselves.’
This is a collection of beautiful poetry which I read in one sitting. However, it is also a collection I need to revisit over and again and properly digest the wisdom and hope embedded within these wonderful words, which echo my own sentiments and philosophy in life. Here are some of my favourite lines and poems (please note, there were so many, I’ve had to severely limit what I show for this review) …
‘FROM SUSPENSION: Another persecutor craving attention’ and ‘A foundation harnessed at home | Anger authorised by a lack of affection | Take responsibility for your child | And for their perception.’
And …
‘FROM MELANIN: Fighting a war against prejudice | Over melanin produced in the skin.’ … Oh, how true!
And …
‘FROM MACHINES: Corrective surgery | The manipulation of a gene | Editing DNA is a precursor | To man becoming machine.’
I highlighted so many more poems and verses, way too many to list here. All I can say is you’ll have to read this book for yourself! As you may have guessed, Poetry for the Blind gets a resounding 5 stars from me. Even better, at the time of writing this review, as well as when I discovered this book, the Kindle version is FREE! It doesn’t get a whole lot better than that. Go read this wonderful collection … it may just change your life.
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by
The post #BookReview: Poetry for the Blind by Atmos #Poetry #Change first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.
July 17, 2023
Four Little Letters: On which the world turns: A #poem about #love using 4 letters or less from Harmony via @Vocal_Creators #poetry #life
You can find my entry below. Vocal estimates this as a 1-minute read.
I’d love to know what you think! And I would be delighted if you could read and heart. To heart and/or comment, you’ll need to sign in to Vocal, which is free to do.
I plan on doing some online catchup with you all tomorrow if I’m well enough. Your understanding is so appreciated. Thanks for all your support! Hugs
July 11, 2023
#BookReview: Eve and Scribbles – The Great Rainbow Chase by Mark Rusk and Leysan Shayakbirova (Illustrator) #ChildrensFiction #LifeLessons
Hi everyone. Today I have a book review for you for a children’s book by an author new to me, Mark Rusk, with wonderful illustrator, Leysan Shayakbirova. Next week, I’ll have a poetry review for you. Here’s my review >>>
About the Book:
Sure, we’ll see and learn lots of colours as we journey, but that’s not what this tale is about! More importantly, we’ll find out what it takes to get to our goal, and above all else, make sure we enjoy the adventure while it’s happening! “So let’s do it, before the sky gets any duller! Nothing to it, I assure you, just follow the colour!”
Eve and Scribbles love adventuring – drizzly sky or not! See what happens once the sun peers through the rain drops, as they jaunt through the vibrant hues of the rainbow on a multi-coloured escapade! A spooked ginger cat, a soothing blue whale and a noisy yellow duck are among the colourful sights Eve and Scribbles stumble across as they parade across the pages of this delightful book. Children will immediately respond to Leysan Shayakbirova’s flat, boldly coloured illustration. Combined with Mark Rusk’s singsong text, they create fantastical images of a swashbuckling adventure through the colours of the rainbow!
The Great Rainbow Chase is an unforgettable story of imagination and adventure. From audacious and funny to creative and clever, the rhythmic rhyme expresses all the brilliance and originality of children at play. With beautiful and humorous illustrations, and a myriad of striking and colourful scenes, this is a book grown-ups will love reading over and over (and over!) to kids at story time and bed time! A great gift for any occasion and especially for all intrepid little girls and fans of rhyming picture books. The Great Rainbow chase has an educational and touching message that applies to everyone, young and old!
My Review:
A fun, colourful book about adventure and enjoying the journey rather than only focusing on the goal
A rhyming book about a girl and her friendly little fox. I love the rhymes, the vivd colours, and the message in this awesome children’s read. I totally love that not only does this great story take a child through the colour spectrum, but it teaches an important message at the same time. The pictures below say way more than I can. Highly recommended! …
A solid five stars from me.
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by
The post #BookReview: Eve and Scribbles – The Great Rainbow Chase by Mark Rusk and Leysan Shayakbirova (Illustrator) #ChildrensFiction #LifeLessons first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.
July 10, 2023
#NewBook: In the Shadow of Rainbows by Selma Martin @SelmaWrites #Poetry #BookReview
Hi everyone! Today, it gives me great pleasure to host author and longtime online friend, Selma Martin, who has released her debut book of poetry! I’ll let you meet Selma and hear all about her fab new book >>>
Hi everyone, Selma here! It’s such a pleasure to visit with you all today. [It’s so lovely to have you over to visit!]
Harmony and friends, I waited almost my whole life for this moment, and once I found enough courage, I worked on it for months, and earlier, when I sent out my June newsletter to my dear subscribers, my fingers took over and wrote:
“Pen pal, I assign you the custodian of my secret
If I were to expire tomorrow
I want you to tell the world that this girl is on fire!”
Well, that’s just how this ordinary woman feels right now. But I tell you, this fire is unwieldy; not going in the direction I want it to go. (In fact, I am at a loss on how to proceed … shhh, don’t tell anyone).
Still, I peppered my initial words by adding: I’ll confide in you, something I’ve been keeping under wraps for around nine months. Now, please don’t think me vain (“vainglorious, I’m just a little euphorious” ~Ogden Nash); if I die tomorrow, the last nine months will go down with me as the best nine months of my writing life.
Sure, I’ve had euphoric moments like this on and off while I explored novel writing and the month-long elation of National Poetry Writing Month, but nothing that amounts to nine consecutive months. So much so that, as far as I’m concerned, I have accomplished what I set out to do. And the fact that this intense feeling of excitement, happiness, and triumph has prevailed for so long tells me that I’m in the right place right now. [Every fellow writer here can relate to this, Selma! Welcome to the club 
]
“I know there is no straight road,
no straight road in this world.
Only a giant labyrinth of
intersecting crossroads.”
~ Federico Garcia Lorca
Nine months of writing poetry with a purpose bigger than myself—I cannot wait to share it with you! We are about to give birth to a book of poetry.
Whether or not my poems are top-notch is yet to be seen by a discerning public audience. But my editor seems to like them—not superlative, but okay. Hehe. And her suggestions and edits are making me look better than I am. Wait and see! *wink* [Folks, you can see my glowing review at the bottom of Selma’s post! 
]
Along with the revelation of this secret, I assign you the custodian of my fate. I entrust you with the words that have ripened inside me and burst me into bloom—the words I want to send gliding in hopes that you, too, burst into bloom.
Like a Shaman, I close my eyes
and reach out to you
across the miles
hoping you hold my hand.
And now, here I am with you, dear Harmony and friends, sharing with an audience far greater than my puny newsletter list that has been the greatest joy I tap into once monthly.
My New Book Launches on Sunday, July 15th, 2023!
And what is it I’ve accomplished and set out to do?
I assembled all the little poems that have lived within me for so long, put them side by side where they can interact with each other, and soon, with their new wings, they will soar to places they have never been before. This collection is a great accomplishment for someone who hoards memories, loves shadows, and has written a collection of songs of presence based on the shadows of memories (she sees). Thanks for sharing my words.
— An extract (excerpt) from one of the poems in In the Shadow of Rainbows:
Golden Durability
Patched up here and there with gold alloy to
preserve malleability, Mom’s bracelet keeps the markers.
She wore that bracelet everywhere, and I
cannot remember a time when it didn’t dangle on her wrist.
To the chagrin of the others, who wished
it melted and reformed, I inherited the artifact.
What kind of abrupt movement cut through the
heavy-duty set hinges to become unchained from its source?
If gold is so precious, why does it break?
And what makes one want to reform it to erase the markers?
I inhale the gold band and slide my hand
in to sense what Mom suffered. I pretend it’s her wrist I kiss.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In this dazzling debut poetry collection of over 60 carefully selected poems, author Selma Martin points the way to the beauty in the everyday, the shadow of the rainbow, and the silver lining at the edge of every cloud.
Favouring lyrical forms, and revelling in rhymes and musical language, the individual poems in this collection harmonise together in symphonic splendour to form an enlightening and delightful whole.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Selma Martin is a retired English teacher with 20 years of teaching children ESL. She believes in people’s goodness and in finding balance in simple living. She lives in Japan with her husband.
Selma once self-published a short story: In 2017, Selma enrolled in her first short story writing competition with a welcoming online community of writers. She practiced earnestly there and had the honor of mingling with seasoned Writers and newcomers like herself.
In 2018, she participated in a networking course–offered by that online community–whose final lesson was to publish a story on Amazon. After many failed attempts, she completed the course and, with “a lot of help” from her new friends, self-published her short story, “Wanted: Husband/Handyman,” in 2019.
Later, collaborating with her peers, she published “Wanted: Husband/Handyman” (again) in Once Upon A Story: A Short Fiction Anthology.
Selma became engrossed with poetry in 2021 when, looking for ways to curb her wordy sentences, someone suggested she try poetry. It was love at first sight. She joined her first Tanka Tuesday with Colleen Chesebro and got her feet wet with her first National Poetry Writing Month. She has participated in NaPoWriMo for three years in a row.
Selma feels she has arrived at her first major crossroad and hopes to continue galumphing in poetry for a long time to come.
You can find Selma on:
And/Or join her once-a-month PenPal newsletter.
Now you’ve heard all about these poems and their origins from Selma, here’s my review of this wonderful debut collection …
A wonderful debut collection of Soul-felt poetry.
Many thanks to the author for a free ARC PDF of this book.
***
At the end of the author’s note on what she wants her poems to do, poet Selma Martin introduces us to the theme with a beautiful and moving poem, which I feel sets the tone for the rest of the book perfectly …
‘the wind disguised from me | the cry of the river | you won’t hear it either | unless you climb the bank | the poem disguised itself from me | it hid in burrows | and places I wouldn’t go looking: | inside shadows, whispers and echoes | until one day I saw rainbows on my eyelashes | — come with me, I’ll help you find your poem…’
Also from the introduction, I love this line:
‘… through wet eyelashes and learning to stand under the sun just so, I marveled at the rainbows that settled on my watery eyes.’
Below are some of my favourite poems and extracts from those poetic lines …
From Confess: ‘ Don’t look at me that way, like a blank white page waiting, imploring I succumb and confess.’
And …
From Kindled Echoes: ‘ Richest are the echoes | of whispers at half-light | which make for good bedfellows | that in the dark, ignite.’
And …
From Poetry: ‘… for in nature, the poet exists ’
I’d love to share more of these gems, but you’ll have to read it for yourself as I’ll end up quoting most of the book if I don’t stop here!
In addition to the pull quotes, I especially loved the poems … You Know Her, The Sea, Could it Be?, Failure, Ebb and Flow. Again, I could go on and on.
As you may have guessed, In the Shadow of Rainbows by Selma Martin—a debut collection of poetry at that—gets 5 rainbow stars from me. If you love inspirational poetry which takes a real look at life, you’ll love this book. You can also find more of Selma’s poetry on her website: selmamartin.com
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book
Universal Purchase Link:
a-fwd.com/asin=B0CB5PLMB6 The post #NewBook: In the Shadow of Rainbows by Selma Martin @SelmaWrites #Poetry #BookReview first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.July 5, 2023
#BookRecommendations: The Glade #Supernatural #Thriller and Life & Soul #Poetry @BruceABorders @bwb @sgc58
Hi everyone!
I’ve had two fantastic surprises this week:
The first is from BookShepherd, where Bruce A Borders gave the most wonderful recommendation for the 2nd book I wrote way back at the start of my writing career:
The second is from Sally Cronin’s Smorgasbord Blog Magazine.
Where Sally shares a wonderful review for my 2nd book in the Soul Poetry series: Life & Soul. Sally also promotes poetry by Balroop Singh, whose book Hues of Hope I highly recommend, and flash fiction and poetry by M J Mallon, whose books I look forward to taking a look at!
I’d be delighted if you could pop over to each page and offer some love!
[Unfortunately, BookShepherd doesn’t yet have a sharing button, so for Twitter, you’ll have to go the old-fashioned route and copy and paste the URL from the browser address bar. On the Tweet, you can use the @tags: @bwb and @BruceABorders, as well as @harmony_kent for little ole me if it doesn’t come up automatically.]
Health Update:
Apologies for my long absences online these days. I’ve been dealing with a lot of difficult days, and finding ways forward takes much of my energy and focus. I appreciate each and every one of you, and I miss interacting with you all like I used to do. I’ll get there … at least, I’m determined to! Hugs, Harmony
July 4, 2023
#BookReview: Monkey Stuff by Rebecca Bielawski also the Illustrator #ChildrensEducation #Counting
Hi everyone. Today I have a book review for you for a children’s book by an author new to me, Rebecca Bielawski, who also does her own illustrations. Next week, I’ll move away from children’s fiction, for a little while. Meanwhile, here’s my review >>>
About the Book:
A children’s rhyming counting book
A beautifully illustrated children’s book full of life and color.
Young children will encounter the numbers 1 to 10, a naughty little monkey, lots of familiar animals, people and objects and a funny rhyming text.
Elements include: a crocodile, a lion, a dog, a princess, an ant, a cow, a baker, an apple tree, a horse and a bird.
My Review:
A fantastically fun way for kids to learn numbers!
A rhyming book about a naughty monkey with beautiful illustrations, which will help younger children learn to count up to 10. (See photos below.)
I loved the monkey’s antics, and can see parents/caregivers and children having such fun reading this together. It’s rated as baby to 6, but I’d say it wants to be more like 18 months to 2 years as the lower age.
The pictures and fun story will motivate most children to learn to count up to 10. Highly recommended!
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by
The post #BookReview: Monkey Stuff by Rebecca Bielawski also the Illustrator #ChildrensEducation #Counting first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.
June 27, 2023
#BookReview: A House for a Mouse by Lisette Starr with Gustyawan as Illustrator #ChildrensFiction #Friendship #Kindness
Hi everyone. Today I have a book review for you for a children’s book by an author new to me, Lisette Starr. In the coming weeks, I’ll have a few reviews for children’s fiction, which often struggles to gain feedback. Here’s my review >>>
About the Book:
It’s so cold outside. Oscar the mouse wants somewhere warm to stay for the night!
“One thundery night I was cosy and warm,
under the covers and safe from the storm.
I was lying awake counting sheep in my head
When I heard something moving under my bed.
Suddenly I was trembling with fear.
Could there be a monster about to appear?
Then I heard it again, that scuttling sound.
It was so scary it made my heart pound!”
A delightful story with bright, fun illustrations and a great positive message!
My Review:
A fun way for younger children to learn important life lessons
A fun story with rhyming text and beautiful illustrations, (See photos below) which introduces children to the concept and importance of friendship, kindness, and generosity, even to something that’s different … in this case a cute little mouse!
This is rated for ages 3 — 8, and I agree with that. A good book for parents/caregivers to read to younger children, and for older kids to read themselves.
Some lines I loved …
‘But then I realized the sound was quite small. It just didn’t sound like a monster at all. So I summoned my courage and turned on the light. I took a deep breath and prepared for a fright.’
And …
‘But then I realized the sound was quite small. It just didn’t sound like a monster at all. So I summoned my courage and turned on the light. I took a deep breath and prepared for a fright.’
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by
The post #BookReview: A House for a Mouse by Lisette Starr with Gustyawan as Illustrator #ChildrensFiction #Friendship #Kindness first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.
June 20, 2023
#BookReview: Mr Maloof by Danielle Marietta with Sarah Jane Docker as Illustrator #ChildrensFiction #StayingYoung
Hi everyone. Today I have a book review for you for a children’s book by an author new to me, Danielle Marietta. In the coming weeks, I’ll have a few reviews for children’s fiction, which often struggles to gain feedback. Here’s my review >>>
About the Book:
Every kid is a bit goofy, and Mr. Maloof was no different. Until he grew up and became quite a grump. Then one day a little blue hair appeared right on the top of his head. With his new blue hair and the help of some neighborhood kids, Mr. Maloof is reminded the importance of staying young at heart.
My Review:
A fun, cute story for kids and their caregivers
A quick, fun read about the importance of staying young at heart. The illustrations are wonderful. (See photos below.)
The text rhymes and adds to the entertainment. The age range is stated as 3 — 6, and I would agree with that. A good book for parents/caregivers to read with younger children, and for those a little older to read themselves.
***
NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.
5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.
I’d love to hear what you think of this review. Thanks for stopping by
The post #BookReview: Mr Maloof by Danielle Marietta with Sarah Jane Docker as Illustrator #ChildrensFiction #StayingYoung first appeared on Welcome to Harmony Kent Online.
June 15, 2023
River of Tears and Imposter Syndrome: Two poems from Harmony via @Vocal_Creators #poetry #life #pain #self-esteem
You can find my entries below. Vocal estimates these as a 1-minute reads.
I’d love to know what you think! And I would be delighted if you could read and heart. To heart and/or comment, you’ll need to sign in to Vocal, which is free to do.
Thanks for all your support! Hugs
