Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to read and review Eureka!: 50 Scientists Who Shaped Human History! This book is full of insights into scientific pioneers both professional and personal. From B.C. to modern times, details explaining theories and interesting tidbits of each scientist fill this easy to read informational book – 4 stars!
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for the opportunity to read and review Every Body Yoga: Let Go of Fear. Get On the Mat. Love Your Body. by Jessamyn Stanley! The author’s humor makes this instructional and informational book interesting to read. Includes the author’s story and background, history of yoga, the eight-limbed path (restraint, discipline, poses, breath work, external detachment, concentration, meditation and total absorption), yoga styles, supplies needed, correct placement, posture mixing, breathing techniques and illustrations with detailed instructions. A helpful, encouraging book worth 5 stars!
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for the opportunity to read and review Manga Art: Inspiration and Techniques from an Expert Illustrator by Mark Crilley! Mr. Crilley shares his story with his readers, encouraging artists everywhere. The beautiful artwork in this book will open up worlds for aspiring artists and I especially like the “your turn” sections that encourage artists to think outside the box and create out of their norm. I will purchase this book for the library where I work because I can see it being beneficial to many students. They will enjoy this book as much as I do- 5 stars for this nonfiction art instructional book!
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time by Tanya Lee Stone! The research done by Tanya Lee Stone after watching the film, Girl Rising, is attributed to the film producers sharing over forty-five hours of video interviews with her. The author combed through the videos to find touching, true, heartbreaking stories that will open up our eyes to what is happening to so many innocent young women and girls all over the world. The whole concept of Girl Rising is overwhelming and a vicious cycle. Families having too many children and they can’t afford to take care of them, so they sell or trade their daughters off to continue the cycle with another generation. The entire time I was reading this book, I kept thinking about birth control and trying to brainstorm some way of stopping the injustice. The cultural reasoning is one-sided and doesn’t take into account the loss of education and childhood/teenage-hood that these girls are missing out on. A girl’s eye view of human slavery, child marriage, lack of education and educational opportunities make this a difficult book to read, but we all need to be aware. This book is inspiring because of the highlighted stories and struggles that these girls have overcome – 4 stars! I want to get books to these places, if possible, so these young women and girls have a chance to read even if they can’t attend school on a daily basis.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone for the opportunity to read and review Botanical Beauty: 80 Essential Recipes for Natural Spa Products by Aubre Andrus! This book contains abundant information categorized into different sections of the body: hands and feet, full body, face and hair. Each section contains recipes to pamper and beautify. The recipes go beyond commonly seen to ingenious creations and ideas. The lotion bar is the first recipe I want to make once I get my own copy of this book because, yes, I pre-ordered it! The helpful, natural and easy to follow recipes and instructions are accompanied by detailed photographs and this book includes descriptions of ingredients, container ideas and where to purchase them, thorough directions and it even has diy nail art and nail wraps, which I wasn’t expecting. The do-it-yourself ideas include the chemical (nail serum to toothpaste) and also material (creaseless hair ties to spa wraps)! Botanical Beauty earns a 5 star review from me while I patiently wait for publication and my copy to arrive!
“Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.”
Thanks to NetGalley and Workman Publishing Company for the opportunity to read and review Oh, Ick!: 114 Science Experiments Guaranteed to Gross You Out! by Joy Masoff! This book is interesting, humorous and educational for all ages! Includes hands-on activities, tasty but disgusting snack recipes and cartoons detailing the what’s, why’s and how’s of science in the world around us – 5 stars!
“Received an advance reader copy for a fair review.”
Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to read and review Bleed, Blister, Puke, and Purge by J. Marin Younker! I am not a medical person and I don’t enjoy seeing or hearing about injuries and this book is extremely detailed enough that it made me physically sick in the introduction. I had a difficult time reading this book and had to take several breaks because of the details being so graphic. This is a wonderful, factual book for anyone interested in medicine and its transformation throughout history. It contains horrific medical mistakes that made patients suffer and this suffering is described in specific detail. These mistakes led to learning and the creation of new and helpful medical technology and knowledge. Bleed, Blister, Puke, and Purge contains all of the sordid history of medicine including: medical pioneers, sexually transmitted diseases and experiments. A great non-fiction read for anyone interested in medicine and its history. 4 stars!
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry Books for the arc of Irena’s Children (Young Reader’s Edition) by Tilar Mazzeo and adapter Mary Cronk Farrell! This true account of Irena Sendler and her friends in Poland warmed my heart and I was astounded by their bravery! Irena and her friends helped save Jewish families during World War II by placing themselves in grave danger, hiding and sneaking children to safety. This is a magnificent story of heroism that affected thousands of Jewish children and has since affected generations of families. This book needs to be read to get the full extent of what true courage Irena Sendler embodies and the bravery it took to save innocent children during the Holocaust! 4 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the arc of Irena’s Children by Tilar Mazzeo! This true account of Irena Sendler and her friends in Poland warmed my heart and I was astounded by their bravery! Irena and her friends helped save Jewish families during World War II by placing themselves in grave danger, hiding and sneaking children to safety. This is a magnificent story of heroism that affected thousands of Jewish children and has since affected generations of families. This book needs to be read to get the full extent of what true courage Irena Sendler embodies! 4 stars.
Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for the book of Saving My Assassin by Virginia Prodan. This memoir introduces Virginia Prodan in immediate danger in 1984, when her life was threatened. Chapter one takes us back to 1961, during Virginia’s childhood. Virginia grew up with abuse from her mother and taunting from her siblings. She is a real life Cinderella. Her upbringing was not to be the end of her struggles, though. With tremendous strength, Virginia shows us what she went through for her individual freedom and what she is willing to do for other’s freedom also. Learning about different cultures and symbolism is always interesting to me, even if I don’t agree or completely understand them. Communism feels confining, nerve-wracking and demoralizing. I appreciate the notes at the end of the book that clarify several questions that arose while I was reading Saving My Assassin. Courageous and inspiring – 4 stars!
The Thought Spot 