Poems and Poets

Publication Date: September 26, 2017 Genre: Middle Grade My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source: Publisher (Through Edelweiss) Christa loves Christmas. The holiday season is her favorite season of all time- it's just so perfect! Unfortunately, this year, the holidays are stained by her parents separation. She can't imagine spending the vacations without her father, even when her mom tells her she'll be joining her on a trip across Europe for the winter. A cautious, play-it-safe kind of girl, Christa isn't really looking forward to the crowds and new foods. When she gets to her hotel though, there's a package from her father awaiting her. The first of 12, the letter dares to her complete a task she normally wouldn't. As Christa works to finish the dares and make new friends within her mom's acting troop, her father shapes her into a more confident girl, from halfway across the world!

Publication Date: September 3rd 2015 Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source: Own copy Three women and three secrets create one compelling story in Jenny Downham's Unbecoming . 17-year old Katie falls in love with the wrong person- or so she thinks. She keeps up her secret tryst without revealing the identity of the one her heart yearns. Caroline, Katie's mother, is rigid and strict and afraid of her past becoming her present. Her confusing childhood has taught her to constantly protect her children. Mary, Caroline's mother, makes a startling  reappearance in her daughter's life after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's following the death of her husband. Still capable of breaking all the rules, Mary is not your usual grandmother. Katie spends her summer caring for Mary, attempting to learn about her mother's disgruntled attitude towards her. As Mary struggles to grasp her memories she reveals her family's secrets to Kati...

We're starting a new month-and unfortunately ending a series here on my blog. For the past few weeks, I've been posting about my trip to the UK  back in 2009 every Saturday, as part of Saturday Snapshot hosted by Melinda . Today, I'll be sharing with you guys the last post in that series. I debated whether or not to publish this post for a while, because I can't remember where we took these pictures! I decided to share them with you anyway though- so I hope any of you hoping to visit the UK will forgive me for not providing you with details! Perhaps someone who lives in the UK will be able to help me out with the locations? 

Hey guys! I've got some more pictures of my trip to the UK (2009) to share with you today! I apologize in advance for the late sign-up and replies to comments, as I'm travelling this weekend. Thanks to Melinda @ Westmetromommyreads for hosting this meme!

Hey Guys! I'm back with yet another post about the family trip to UK in 2009. This week, I'll be sharing three pictures of brown, stone buildings we encountered in the UK, thanks to Melinda , the gracious host of Saturday Snapshot. Here goes: Bridge of Sighs, Oxford War memorial, Edinburgh Castle I can't seem to remember what the second picture is. Perhaps one of you can let me know in the comments? Have a great weekend guys!

So far, I've shown you the heights, the flora, the castles, some buildings, a museum and the natural beauty of the UK. Today's post will be about our visit to Shakespeare's Birthplace, back in 2009. I'm linking up with Melinda @Westmetromommyreads for this post.  Hope you all enjoyed this post. Have any of you visited Shakespeare's birthplace? Let me know in the comments below and have a great weekend!

Am I the only one struggling to believe that we're already in June 2017? And here I am, posting about a trip I took in June 2009. It's been 8 years since my family trip to the UK, but thanks to Melinda@Westmetromommyreads , I'm able to post about it through Saturday Snapshot. Continuing with my series, here are some pictures of Scotland. Let me know which picture's your favourite in the comments below!

Hey guys! Hope you've had a great week so far. If not- never fear, because it's the weekend! You all know what that means around here- another Saturday Snapshot post, hosted by Melinda . I'll be continuing my series about my trip to the UK in 2009. Here are some pictures of Warrick Castle, courtesy of my father: A rather unconventional view of the castle.

For last week's Saturday Snapshot I shared some pictures of flowers I encountered during our family trip to the UK (2009). Continuing with that theme, this week I'm going to share with you some more pictures of nature that we saw on our trip. Thanks to Melinda @ Westmetromommyreads for hosting this meme every week! If I'm not mistaken, I believe that this is Lake District....

Hello everyone! It's Saturday- and by now, you should all know what that means! It's time for another Saturday Snapshot post! Melinda hosts this meme every week, and thanks to her, today I'll be sharing some more pictures of my family trip to UK in 2009. Enjoy these pictures of flora in UK: This is definitely my favourite picture!

Hey everyone! It's time to link up with Melinda once again, for another Saturday Snapshot. As you know, I've been sharing pictures of the family trip to UK back in 2009, so I'm going to show you some more pictures of the same vacation today. These pictures are all from "The World of Beatrix Potter", the author of the Flopsy Bunny series. We'd read the series as kids, and so of course, we just had to go visit the Flospy Bunnies!

Hey guys, it's time for another update on my family trip to UK in 2009. Last time, I shared some of the "heights" of London. This time, I'm sharing some of the majestic buildings we encountered. This meme is hosted by Melinda @ westmetromommyreads As seen from the London Eye

Happy weekend! I'm back with another mini-series on my blog. Hosted by westmetromommyreads.com , Saturday Snapshot is a meme that encourages bloggers to post pictures they've taken.  This series will be about a family trip to the UK in 2009. Here are some of the "Heights of UK".

Publication Date: June 7th 1946 Genre : Murder-Mystery My Goodreads Rating:  3/5 Source:  Own Copy Hercule Poirot has been invited to Lady Angkatell's weekend house party. Also invited are a few cousins and family friends, who all arrive before the famous Belgian detective. When he does arrive, he doesn't appreciate the elaborate murder tableau that has been set for him.  Dr. John Christow lies near the swimming pool in a large puddle of red paint, and his meek and timid wife stands over him holding a gun. The rest of the party, scattered around the scene look shocked.   What Poirot doesn't realize immediately is, that this is no scene. However fake it may look, Christow is dead and the immediate suspect is his wife, the seemingly simple-minded Gerda Christow.

Publication Date: June 7th 2011 Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy My Goodreads Rating: 3/5 Source:  Own Copy Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was a novel that everyone seemed to have read. It had an interesting synopsis, a fantastical setting, and great reviews- so I decided to give it a shot and add my review to the thousands of others that are already out there! This book is about a sixteen-year old boy, Jacob Portman who finds reason to believe in the fairy-tales his grandfather, Abraham, told him when he was a boy. These weren't fairy tales with happy endings or even happy beginnings. They were stories of monsters and death and fantastic creatures. Jacob's parents had always passed it off as exaggerations of Abraham's life as a Jew in German Poland. Jacob had eventually dismissed them too. Somehow, with the death of his grandfather, these tales become real again.  This is not a self-help book. Nor is it a book about trauma and stress. It is not a n...

Publication Date: September 18th 2016 Genre: Historical Fiction My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source:  Own Copy For a while now, I've been undecided about my favourite genre. This book, however, helped me realize that Historical Fictions are the books I love to read the most. "The Bishop's Girl" by Rebecca Burns is an intricately woven story that deals with identity and identification, love and romance, jobs and family life, and most of all, discovery.  Jess is a certified archivist who works at the Shacklock Library. Under a strict, work-absorbed professor, she researches the unidentified body of a young woman who was buried with the famous Bishop Shacklock sometime in the First World War.   Struggling to find anything of relevance that hasn't been reviewed in her last six years at the library, she stumbles upon a document that could possibly change history. She leaves town, and her family, for a weekend to investigate a hunch, and in doing so, meets a...

Publication Date: April 14th 2011 Genre: Young Adult, Romance My Goodreads Rating: 3/5 Source:  Own Copy I finished reading "Attachments" by Rainbow Rowell last month, and although I wasn't quite sure if I should review it, I've decided to do so now. I don't have many reviews where I present negative views, but they might help some of you make your decision about trying out the book. After all, what I don't enjoy may be exactly what you do. So let's get to it, shall we? (we shall...)

Publication Date: February 11th 2016 Genre: Friendship, Young Adult Fiction My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 Source:  Borrowed Hello Everyone! It's been a while since I last reviewed a book, so today I'm going to share with you my thoughts on a book I recently read- Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard . It was a great book, and although it may sound like a typical novel about friendship and trust, this book has interesting characters, realistic scenarios, and a great story line.  This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I'll admit that I was a little skeptical about the novel at first. It seems like your everyday friendship and self-destruction novel, but it's so much more than that. Cadman and Rosie have been best friends for ten years, even though they're not in the same school. They embody the spirit of the saying "opposites attract". While Cadman is shy and timid, Rosie is loud and out-going in the best way.

Publication Date: March 1940 Genre: Murder-Mystery My Goodreads Rating: 3/5 Source:  Own Copy Hello everyone! I recently finished reading "Sad Cypress" by Agatha Christie. I really liked the story, characterization, and the narration, but I can't say that I loved it.  The main character, Eleanor is accused of the murder of Mary Gerrard. It seems that she was the only person with both motive and opportunity. The story is recounted as she sits in the dock at court, from her point of view.  Following this, Hercule Poirot investigates the case, and his final point of view is given through the assessments and inquiries of various witnesses.  Initially, the case is presented as a clear-cut case. Eleanor's motive was jealousy and she had a great opportunity. Eleanor herself seemed to believe that she was guilty. However, its a Poirot novel- there has to be something more to the story than what's being told.

Publication Date: 1991 Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance My Goodreads Rating: 2/5 Source: Library Copy I recently finished reading " A Little Love Song " by Michelle Magorian. Initially I wasn't too sure about the book, however, I enjoyed the story line and the contrast between the characters. The story, set in the English Country during the Second World War, is one of self-discovery, courage, love and friendship.  The main character, Rose HighlyRobinson has come away to the town of Salmouth for vacations with her elder sister Diana. Their mother has gone away with an acting troupe for the summer who hope to entertain British and American soldiers around Europe.  At the young ages of 21 and 17, the two sisters are left under the charge of Ms. Hutchinson for 3 months. As their caretaker is called away on duty at the factories, Roe (Nickname for Rose) and Diana take the brave decision to live on their own.