Book Review: Garden of Dreams and Desires

Garden of Dreams and Desires

by Kristen Painter
My rating: 3 out of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

Tourists are disappearing at an alarming rate. While Augustine and his lieutenants attempt to find them, Harlow and the evil spirit possessing her remain Augustine's true focus. Freeing her from the spirit's grasp is all he can think about, especially with no real solution on the horizon.

Then he discovers the tourists are disappearing because the witches are stealing souls to cast a dangerous chaos spell. Before he can stop them, Harlow becomes their victim. Now he must race the clock to set her free and end the witches' machinations before the chaos spell strips every fae in New Orleans of their power and bring fae rule to an end…

Book Review: I Am: Why Two Little Words Mean So Much

I Am: Why Two Little Words Mean So Much

by Dr. Wayne Dyer and Kristina Tracy
My rating: 5 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

I AM teaches kids a simple but profound message: God is not far off in the distance, or even merely beside us. In other words, we are not separate from God-we are God! Knowing that God's love and strength is a part of everyone can help kids grow to meet their greatest potential in life.

Review:

Yet another home run! This was the second book written by Dr. Dyer that I read with my children. The first was purchased but this one was a gift from a dear co-worker. After reading “the Unstoppable Me!” I knew that I wanted to read more by this author. You can imagine my happy surprise to find it sitting on my desk with a handwritten note to my daughter telling her that she is special and to never stop being herself. This book is beautifully written and illustrated. It probes and answers some pretty heavy philosophical questions that I may not have been able to broach with my little one. It’s very important to give children and anchor, especially in this generation where morals often take a back seat, and our little ones are bombarded by social media. This book is a great tool to help us remind them that not only are they a part of God, but also, the God is a part of them and they are never alone.

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Book Review: The Unstoppable Me!

The Unstoppable Me!

by Dr. Wayne Dyer
My rating: 5 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

In Unstoppable Me! Dr. Dyer teaches children how to hold on to the no-limit thinking he believes they were born with, rather than just trying to “fit in.” In doing so, they can learn to truly enjoy life and become unstoppable as they strive to attain their dreams…

Review:

This book is absolutely awesome. For my family it’s a golden oldie. My daughter (9yo) and I still re-read it whenever she needs a little pick me up. Both the artwork and the writing are amazing. The lessons are easily understood by early and mid-level readers. I plan to start reading this book to my son (4yo) very soon and anticipate reading it to my youngest (1 yo) as well. In this book Dr. Dyer speaks of not just fitting in to society but being true to yourself. He also touches the issues surrounding the value of taking risks and embracing change, overcoming anxiety and just plain learning to enjoy life for all that it has to offer. I love the Q&A topics at the back of the book; they act as great conversation starters for you and your child.

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Book Review: Pines

Pines

by Blake Crouch
My rating: 5 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

Secret service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a clear mission: locate and recover two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase. The medical staff seems friendly enough, but something feels…off.

Review:

I received this book through the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This fell into the category of books I couldn’t put down. I gobbled it up in one day; and it was worth every minute. I never stopped to think how eerie it would be to exist in a Norman Rockwell painting. In the opening chapter of the book we meet our main character as he struggles to make sense of the seemly idyllic town, Wayward Pines, which he has been thrust into. As an added twist, he also seems to be suffering from a serious bout of amnesia. Through various interactions with the citizens, he realizes that something strange is going on. From that point on, the entire ride is surreal