Puppy, 12 Months of Rhymes & Smiles by Patricia Furstenberg – Book Review

Book: Puppy, 12 Months of Rhymes and Smiles

Author: Patricia Furstenberg

Independently Published with Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

Publication date: 31 October 2017

Target audience: 2 and up

Genre: Children's, Animals, Humour

Synopsis

A puppy's first year is filled with findings, wiggles and laughter.

 

Puppies squirm in all the odd places, sniff all the strange objects, lick everything they can and find something to splash into even when we don't want them to!

This book of poems explores the first year of a puppy's life, going through an adventure after the other, one month at a time.

Puppy's first days, puppy's first weeks in a new home, puppy's encounters with snow and the school bag, puppy's duty to protect... What happens when puppy is full of good intentions, yet his actions go wrong?

Read the rhymes and laugh with your little one.

Book Review by Nadaness In Motion

Puppy, 12 Months of Rhymes and Smiles by Patricia Furstenberg is a fun, exciting, adorable, and a must-read children's book.

Chapters are divided into months, in the form of puppy paws at the beginning, each a phase in the puppy's life until it turns one.

Contents Page from Puppy, 12 Months of Rhymes & Smiles by Patricia Furstenberg 

With lots of colours, lots of love, humour, and puppies, children will want to read this book over and over and over.

Having lived with dogs her whole life, it's no wonder Patricia Furstenberg would choose a puppy to be centrepiece in this book.

I loved how the puppy referred to its human owner/friend as a "human pup".

"My human pup was there

And we spent the day together"

Loved the chapter where the puppy learns that it will get a name but has no idea what a name is. It was funny and innocent like children themselves.

Grown up or not, Puppy, 12 Months of Rhymes and Smiles is a must-read for children that will teach them love and tenderness towards animals.

Overall rating: 5 stars

Note: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of this book from its author in exchange for an honest review.

Note 2: Above images are courtesy from the author, Patricia Furstenberg.

Note 2: The hard copy version has more colours and font-play than the e-version.

Purchase link:

Order Puppy, 12 Months of Rhymes & Smiles by Patricia Furstenberg.

About the Author:

Patricia Furstenberg came to writing through reading. She is known to carry a book or pen and paper everywhere she goes.

Patricia enjoys writing for children because she can take abstract, grown-up concepts and package them in attractive, humorous, child-friendly words and pictures, while adding sensitivity and lots of love. What fuels her is a need to write and… coffee, “None. Plus? Five cups.”

After completing her Medical Degree in Romania, she moved to South Africa where she now lives with her husband, children, and their dogs.

Connect with author Patricia Furstenberg via her Author Website, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Huffington Post SA, Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Joyful Trouble by Patricia Furstenberg– Book Review

Book: Joyful Trouble

Author: Patricia Furstenberg

Independently Published with Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

ISBN: 978-1521089576

ASIN: B07227P973

Publication date: 17 April  2017

Target audience: 6-10

Genre: Children's, Animals, Historical, Humour

Synopsis:

A humourous read about an incredible dog and how he had found his true, yet unexpected calling.

A dog. A friendship. A purpose.

When a Great Dane arrives in a navy base nobody expects him to win everybody’s hearts, although breaking some rules along the way. But things soon turn sour as somebody threatens to put him to sleep. Who will stand up for this for-legged gentle giant?

Tackling universal themes and voicing animal rights and the importance of fighting for what is right.

Book Review by Nadaness In Motion

Joyful Trouble by Patricia Furstenberg is a fun, fast-paced read about a Great Dane named Joyful Trouble, who befriends seamen on a naval base in South Africa and is later added to the base as a member.

The book opens with Ana and Tommy, who are nine and five, respectively, asking their grandfather to tell them the story of Joyful Trouble.

"Doggies! I want to see the custard Danish!"

"Great Danes, Tommy. They are Great Danes."

The Great Dane easily befriends the seamen, but its unpaid rides on the train anger the ticket collectors and officials, who ask that he be put to sleep so they can get rid of him. 

"The poor dog was in trouble for being a friendly, four-legged creature."

What happens after that is beautiful and according to the author based on a true story.

Joyful Trouble is enlisted as "ordinary seamen" and becomes part of the navy.

I liked how Patricia Furstenberg weaved the story of Joyful Trouble as a story within a story.

There are intermittent parts where the children ask questions, express worry or excitement about the events of the story and so on, which reminds the reader that they're not just reading about the dog but about other people as well. It also provides some comedy, especially when Tommy jumps in.

"Choo-choo train!" Exclaimed Tommy and he was soon a train himself, running along the living room, following the carpet lines like imaginary train tracks.

The characters are adorable, especially Tommy, whom I absolutely loved. He's super cute and funny and makes the book light, whereas his sister Ana is the grown up one who keeps asking her grandfather to tell her more about Joyful Trouble and his adventures.

"I knew what was at stake."

"'Steak!' Exclaimed Tommy suddenly, wide awake. "I'm hungry!"

Photo credit: Patricia Furstenberg

It is worth mentioning that the novella has several tales about Joyful Trouble, from the day the grandfather as a young seaman meets the dog till the day Joyful Trouble dies (which made me cry).

Overall, Joyful Trouble is a must read for all ages.

Overall rating: 5 stars

Note: I received a free copy of Joyful Trouble from its author Patricia Furstenberg in exchange for an honest review.

Update: Check out Nadaness In Motion's interview with author Patricia Furstenberg.

About the Author:

Patricia Furstenberg came to writing through reading. She is known to carry a book or pen and paper everywhere she goes.

Patricia enjoys writing for children because she can take abstract, grown-up concepts and package them in attractive, humorous, child-friendly words and pictures, while adding sensitivity and lots of love. What fuels her is a need to write and… coffee, “None. Plus? Five cups.”

After completing her Medical Degree in Romania, she moved to South Africa, where she now lives with her husband, children, and their dogs.

Connect with author Patricia Furstenberg via her Author Website, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Huffington Post SA, Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Change Is A Chance

Change. It usually comes with or is followed shortly by a feeling of loss, uncertainty, and doubt. It makes you shiver slightly from within, makes it seem like you're suddenly unsure of what you'd been 100% certain of a moment, a day or even a year before.

It's strange like that. But it's also necessary. If we keep on living and moving in the same cycle over and over until we forget ourselves and others forget us, then we are slowly – very slowly – killing ourselves.

Change, whether for good or bad, happens for a reason. We learn something; it could be a good lesson or a painful one, but we must learn.

We must sit, collect our thoughts and emotions and lay down the facts that have recently taken place. Analyse the events, the decisions, the effects and the final result.

We may not like it. But it will teach us something about ourselves. 

Change is progress. It may sometimes appear as if one has taken a backward step instead of going forward, but it is a necessary stage in human life. It is a stage that is repeated often, at times when we want it and at others when we desperately don't.

Every change brings an opportunity, small or big; it's chance, one that must be seized and made the best of.

As we begin the New Year, a new chapter in our lives, we must look to the world with different eyes. Look at it – even briefly – from the perspective of a detached human and feel its frailty and our own weakness. Once we see and understand this, we can either sink below or toughen up and rise to achieve greatness.

A person can only rise if they want to. They may take decisions that would shock the world, or at least people in their world, but these decisions could be the right thing for them, while they may be wrong or illogical for others.

One must embrace change. It happens for a reason. Embrace and find that reason and accordingly find your purpose and your strength.

Happy New Year!

Black & White - Poem

She sees it all in black and white;

For her it’s either day or night,

No shades of grey in between,

Nor red, nor blue, nor green.

She lives in the light,

But would easily stray to the darkness,

Without a war, without a fight,

Where she’d become stone-cold and heartless!

She lives in the light,

But in its intensity, she shies away.

Her own dreams, she may blight,

Frustrating her own path-way.

She has so much potential,

But, for her, everything has a price,

Decisions are consequential,

But she doesn’t care, her heart is ice!

Would that heart of her melt?

Or would it grow thorns?

Would she forgive and forget?

Or succumb to becoming a devil with horns?

Life is not black and white,

Crystal clear or dead of night,

There is so much in between,

So much red, blue and green!

By: Nada Adel Sobhi

Written Friday 27-7-2012

An old piece. Can be a he or a she.

Your thoughts and comments are highly appreciated. (Shares too).

The Corpse with the Ruby Lips by Cathy Ace - Book Review

The Corpse with the Ruby Lips

(A Cait Morgan Mystery)

Author: Cathy Ace

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Publisher: TouchWood Editions

Date of publication: 1 November, 2016)

Paperback: 240 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1771511957

Synopsis:

A gig as guest lecturer at the university in Budapest should have been a dream job for a travelling criminologist and food lover. But wherever Cait Morgan goes, murder seems to follow. One of Cait’s new students pleads with her to solve the mystery of her grandmother’s brutal slaying. She agrees, but when she is repeatedly hassled by a weird colleague, and as bizarre details about the student’s family members come to light, Cait is beset by uncertainty.

As she gets closer to the truth, Cait's investigation puts the powers-that-be on high alert, and her instincts tell her she's in grave danger. Bud races to Budapest to come to Cait's aid, but will it be too late?

Book Review by Nadaness In Motion

Didn't see this one coming!

The Corpse with the Ruby Lips by Cathy Ace is a new installment in the Cait Morgan Mystery Series, and a different mystery by all means.

In her books, Ace often takes the reader to a foreign country. In The Corpse with the Garnet Face, the country of choice was Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In this instalment, the novel is set in Budapest, Hungary.

Cait goes to Budapest to teach for a month; there one of her students, Zsofia, asks that she look into her grandmother's death which occurred almost 40 years prior on Cait's university campus at UVAN (University of Vancouver).

As Cait begins to meet other family members, exercising her psychology tactics and having her husband Bud, who had to remain in Canada, dig into the unclosed mystery, things begin to spiral in a new direction, as the case opens fresh wounds for many.

One of the things I liked about this instalment was Ace's use of books, a saga to be exact, that might mirror what has happened to the family. The author also handles a variety of themes and problems such as Alzheimer's and alcoholism, to keep Cait – and the reader – away from finding the truth.

Regarding alcoholism, Ace carefully utilises the problems accompanied with it in the book and characters.

Having lived with a person whose memory was often ravaged by too much liquor, I recognised the expression that flashed across Alexa's face; she couldn't recall exactly what she'd said to her daughter the night before, and experience was telling her she'd never be able to retrieve the lost words from the black hole where they'd sunk without trace.

The Corpse with the Ruby Lips is quite realistic; I particularly liked how the renowned psychologist Cait isn't perfect and despite her intelligence can be gullible at times.

I was speechless. She'd used me! She'd researched me, found my weaknesses, and just plain used me. And I'd fallen for it. I'd actually liked her.

As always, Cait's little insights never fail to impress me. I particularly liked this part where she describes a music manager who had come to look at new artists and sign them up. Cait's emotions are clear and easily transferred to the reader.

He handed out cards, his fingers lingering on Zsofia's as she took one. I felt everything in me clench – not just because of the way his eyes were sliding across Zsofia's bosom, but because the way he presented himself wasn't endearing at all; there's only so much bling a person can wear before you begin to wonder why they need to have that much gold about their person at all times.

The book is not devoid of humour and bit of sarcasm.

"'Careful' is my middle name," I mugged.
"Not it's not, and it never will be. Your middle name's much more likely to be 'catastrophe.'"

Narrated in the first person, The Corpse with the Ruby Lips has many beautiful lines, imagery and quotes. The overall narration is exciting, even when events don't seem to be moving forward.

"Words can never be unsaid. They ring in our ears forever - sometimes when we least want them to."

Overall rating: 5 stars.

Check out my book reviews of previous books in the series: The Corpse with the Diamond Hand, The Corpse with the Garnet Face and The Corpse with the Crystal Skull.

Note: This review was originally part of a blog tour with Lori Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, but due to commitments I was only able to publish the guest post titled "The Effect of Words" by Cathy Ace on my scheduled date. Check out the post highlighting the theme of 'words' in The Corpse with the Ruby Lips.

About the Author:

Cathy Ace loves crime! It’s true – she discovered Nancy Drew in her local library, then found Agatha Christie on her Mum’s bookshelves, and she never looked back. Cathy happily admits that the characters she met between the book-covers as a child have influenced her writing. 

“Nancy Drew was plucky, strong and independent, and Agatha Christie’s puzzles engaged me every time. I love the sort of book that mixes intricate plotting with a dash of danger, and that’s what I’ve tried to create with my Cait Morgan Mystery Series. Beginning my new series, featuring the women of the WISE Enquiries Agency, I have been able to indulge my love of stately homes, village life and the interplay between characters that can take place in that sort of setting.”

Born and raised in Swansea, South Wales, Cathy is, like her heroine Cait Morgan, now a Canadian citizen. “Cait’s Welsh Canadian, as am I. They say ‘write what you know’, so a short, plus-sized Welsh woman, who’s quite bossy, fits the bill! But Cait and I are not one and the same: she’s got skills and talents I don’t possess, and I’m delighted to say that I don’t usually encounter corpses wherever I go! I’ve also chosen to burrow even deeper into my roots by creating a new cast of characters in the WISE women who come from all four corners of the United Kingdom and work in a uniquely British setting – a ducal estate set in the rolling Welsh countryside of the Wye Valley in Powys, where I spent a good deal of time when I was young.”

With a successful career in marketing having given her the chance to write training courses and textbooks, Cathy has now finally turned her attention to her real passion: crime fiction. Her short stories have appeared in multiple anthologies. Two of her works, “Dear George” and “Domestic Violence”, have also been produced by Jarvis & Ayres Productions as “Afternoon Reading” broadcasts for BBC Radio 4.

Cathy now writes two series of traditional mysteries: The Cait Morgan Mysteries (TouchWood Editions) and The WISE Enquiries Agency Mysteries (Severn House Publishers).

Cathy is proud to be Chair of Crime Writers of Canada, a member of Sisters in Crime, the Crime Writers Association, and Mystery Writers of America.

Author Links:

Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Rest in Peace on Your Birthday

It is the 7^th of November again. A day etched in memory; a forgotten birthday, one that brings me tears every year, clenching my heart in remembrance.

Already my eyes are watery, I miss you. I've missed you and I can't stop. I don't want to, but I wonder how others carry on without their loved one, how do they stop the tears?

I remember your bright lipsticks, and how my dad didn't like it when I used yours or played with them.

I remember your perfume, well sort of. I remember it wasn't fruity or with vanilla like the ones we get these days. Yours was what my mother called "heavy". It was yours. It defined you. It was etched in your scent.

I remember when you used to stay over at our place, I always wanted you to sleep next to me and I hated it when you had to leave. When you did, I'd come home from school and smell the pillows, till I had sniffed your scent away entirely.

The year after you died, I started university and it was so close to your home. But the house was closed and you weren't there. I wished you were alive so I can stay over and may take care of you or at least hold you tight.

I remember sleeping on your sick bed towards the end.

Life's not been easy; it never is. But I still wish you were here. I wanted to share my successes with you, my ups and downs.

I wish… but I can only remember.

Rest in peace grandmother Lolo.

The Picture, a poem also written for Lolo on her birthday in 2014.

The Memory Chair: A deep, emotional book

The Memory Chair by Susan White is short emotional novel with lots of deep characters and a little magic.

Narrated from thirteen-year-old Betony's point of view, the story begins with Betony telling the reader how going to her great-grandmother is a sort of punishment she has to endure, until one day she sits on her grandmother's large brown chair.

"It was always the smell that hit me when I walked into the back porch of Gram's house. It was an overpowering smell, musty and stale, a smell that hung heavy in the air of the small, cluttered, windowless room."

Betony gets a vivid dream of a family that resembles her own but decades before she is born. She is surprised by this dream and tries the chair during a second visit. She soon realises that these aren't dreams but are in fact memories of her great-grandmother when she was very young.

The memories unfold a strange secret of a man – or young boy – called Warren, whom nobody speaks of or seems to remember.

Betony is intrigued and keeps trying the chair to discover more about her great-grandmother and this Warren person.

"The memory of that day was Gram's. How did it become mine?"

The memories also kindle a connection between Betony and her great-grandmother, Ida, bringing them closer. Betony also discovers the art of quilting and her great-grandmother, previously portrayed as a scary old hag, gets excited about it.

"In just a week I had gone from totally dreading spending any time with Gram to the point where I eagerly rushed back into the living room so that I could hear more of what she had to tell me."

One of the things I truly liked about The Memory Chair is the character development, not only for the protagonist, Betony, but for her entire family. I like how the author made both young and old characters develop.

My only objection was that there were a lot of characters and names that often got confused. I felt like I needed a family tree.

The novel is narrated by Betony but goes back to when her great-grandmother was a child, which makes the novel span four generations – all still living. Also, Betony calls her great-grandmother "Gram" and her grandparents "Grampie" and "Grammie" so it gets a bit confusing at first or when they are all in the same room.

"Gram is my Grampie's mother, my mom's grandmother, and my great-grandmother." – I had to read this sentence a couple of times to let it sink in.

The pace is good, neither too quick nor too slow. There isn't significant "action" but the shifts and progress are nicely done.

I think it's a middle grade book but I'd definitely recommend it for all ages.

"Each memory I had seen had brought me closer to Gram, and now I cared about her in a way I had never imagined possible."

The Memory Chair brought me to tears and I liked Betony's narration. Although there isn't a lot of imagery, the book has many memorable quotes.

"The way I see it, Grampie, being a family is like sewing this quilt together…Each little piece starts out separate. You choose two pieces to put together and keep adding to make on side of the first section. Then, the second part comes together, then the third, then the fourth. Then you sew them around the middle piece and then you join them to another similar section. You start to see the connecting rings. Each little piece becomes part of the whole thing before it becomes a quilt."

Note: I received a free copy of The Memory Chair by Susan White in exchange for an honest review and as part of a blog tour with Worldwind Virtual Book Tours.

PURCHASE

Amazon

B & N

Indigo

Susan's  Website / Goodreads /  Facebook

About the author:

Sue White was born in New Brunswick and moved from one New Brunswick city to another. As a teenager her family moved to the Kingston Peninsula and she only left long enough to earn her BA and BEd at St. Thomas University in Fredericton. Settling on the peninsula, she and her husband raised four children and ran a small farm while she taught elementary school. Since retiring she is grateful to now have the time to work on her writing and the freedom to regularly visit her new granddaughter in Alberta.

Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success. They have two beautiful children.

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