Lovely Children's Book Featuring Israel

 

A Feather, a Pebble, a Shell by Miri Leshem-Pelly

The author invites reader to “explore the landscape of Israel through the small, treasured objects a child finds in nature.”  The tenderly illustrated book takes the reader throughout the landscape of Israel, showcasing beautiful natural features that a child can appreciate.  Laced with facts regarding the topography and natural items, this book is a treasure itself.  As a teacher, I would enjoy sharing it with my students and as a grandmother I look forward to sharing it with my grandchildren, introducing them to a land that I have come to love.

I highly recommend this beautifully written and illustrated book and I am grateful to the publisher for a complimentary copy in exchange for this, my honest review.

Lynn Austin's Newest Novel Set in the Gilded Age

 

All My Secrets by Lynn Austin

Set in the Gilded Age, this book traces the lives of 3 women in a well-to-do family.  These women, Junietta, Sylvia and Addy must decide how to proceed now that their son, husband and father is gone and their lives are disrupted.  Will it be a chance to start anew or a scramble to hold onto what they cannot stand to lose?

The author weaves the story of the lives of these three women and their pasts into lessons astute readers will take to heart.  She portrays the heartbreak of lost love, the beauty of second chances and the importance of living a worthwhile life.  The plot steadily carries the story forward while alternating between the three women and their choices.  The reader is kept interested while the background and the secrets of the women are revealed.  The story raises many good questions, causing the reader to think through their own life choices.

As Lynn Austin is one of my go-to authors, I heartily recommend this book.  Readers will enjoy the story and the setting and the life lessons that permeate it.  I am grateful to the publisher for the complimentary copy of this ebook, in exchange for this, my honest review.

 

Unusual but very enjoyable story

 

A Lady’s Guide to Marvels and Misadventure by Angela Bell

Miss Clara Marie Stanton is known to her loving grandfather as Little Atlas because she often carries the weight of the world on her shoulders.  Living in the mid 1800’s, she is terrified that something horrible will happen to her family, especially if the word gets out about her uncle and his disgraceful demise.  The rest of the family is quite unique with her mother an animal rights activist who can’t pass up a stray and her grandfather who is an inventor of automatons including butterflies and a huge flying owl.  As she seeks to protect her family, her grandfather leads her on a merry scavenger hunt across Europe.  She attempts to follow his clues while staying ahead of her former fiancé who wants nothing more than to use her family for his own nefarious purposes.

There were many things that made this book unique and entertaining.  The automatons were a fun surprise.  The many interesting locations in the book were fascinating.  The characters were quirky, a definite plus for this reader.  And the vocabulary was delightful, often requiring me to use the look up feature in my kindle.

Readers who enjoy a witty read with unexpected elements, a bit of romance, and lovable characters who grow spiritually are sure to enjoy this book.  I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in return for this my honest review.