Goodreads Blurb

This is a moving and impassioned picture book about the iconic handbag designer Judith Leiber that will embolden young readers to use their imaginations and inspire the world with their own creativity!

At night, she took comfort

making handbags 

with any scraps she could find.

Every purse she made

made her dreams come alive.

Growing up in Budapest, Hungary, Judith Leiber drew inspiration from her father, who always brought back special handbags for her mother from wherever he traveled. After getting a job at a handbag house, she dreamt up designs that took her mind off her difficult life. World War II had broken out, and Judith and her family were Hungarian Jews facing persecution. At night, she would make handbags with any scraps she could find. 

She found her passion for fashion, and after the war ended Judith immigrated to America. Here, she found her vision for her designs from preening peacocks, fanciful frogs donning gilded crowns, burgers and fries, and layer cake. She turned the ordinary into extraordinary handbags, designing creations unlike anything that had been seen before.

This is an inspiring picture book about finding your passion and being creative from the same team behind Polka Dot Parade: The Story of Bill Cunningham!

My Review

Can you possibly imaging gluing 13,000 stones per handbag? You need to have patience and a steady hand. Judith Leiber was iconic with her fabulously, sparkly and unique handbags. They were special evening bags that were shaped as animals, foods, castles, and really anything that came to Judith’s mind. Her love for purses came at an early age and she knew that she would grow up to create handbags that people will love. She had a tough life after War World II broke out. Her and her family had to sew army uniforms and at some point had to hide in order to be safe. This never deterred her and she kept on creating handbags with leftover scraps. She fell in love with an American soldier and in New York she created her business. One mistake with a metal she used on a handbag turned a bad experience to a glittery wonderland. Her happy unique bags was the “it” bag that first ladies and celebrities carried to events to pair with their outfits. These purses are costly, unique and a conversation starter. I love purses just like these beautiful master pieces. Having a bag from Judith lets you be unique and standout. This book had great illustrations that let you see how amazing and different her handbags are. Her story will teach kids that when you have a passion for something, keep doing what you love and think outside the box. Kids will truly enjoy the glittery life of Judith Leiber.

Author Biography

Deborah Blumenthal is an award-winning journalist and nutritionist who now divides her time between writing children’s books and adult novels. She has been a regular contributor to The New York Times (including four years as the Sunday New York Times Magazine beauty columnist), and a home design columnist for Long Island Newsday. Her health, fitness, beauty, travel, and feature stories have appeared widely in many other newspapers and national magazines including New York’s Daily News, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Day, Family Circle, Self, and Vogue. 

Blumenthal lives in New York City.

Goodreads Blurb

Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life. 

As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Before long, Lou finds herself torn between Fifth Avenue where she works and the treasure-filled vintage clothing store where she actually feels at home. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you find the courage to follow your heart—wherever that may lead?

Funny, romantic, and poignant, Still Me follows Lou as she navigates how to stay true to herself, while pushing to live boldly in her brave new world. 

My Review

A brilliant story with more wonderful adventures with Louisa Clark. She lives temporarily in the high life of NYC, while searching for her future. Jojo wrote a book filled with experiences, joy, heartbreak, love, deceit and forgiveness. As I read, I accompanied Louisa in her adventures in NYC. She made me laugh but I also got sad when she experience horrible moments. I truly feel for Louisa who is such a kind, funny and caring individual. She gets used by people because she is trust worthy and a true friend. I know that feeling. This novel let’s you see moments most of us have went through or might go through in life. Friendship is not always what it seems. Some times it’s a one way street or it comes from the least expected person. Thank you, JoJo for a lovely story filled with life, hope, dreams and adventures. I rated 5 out of 5 Stars.

Author Biography

Jojo Moyes is a British novelist.

Moyes studied at Royal Holloway, University of London. She won a bursary financed by The Independent newspaper to study journalism at City University and subsequently worked for The Independent for 10 years. In 2001 she became a full time novelist.

Moyes’ novel Foreign Fruit won the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA) Romantic Novel of the Year in 2004.

She is married to journalist Charles Arthur and has three children.

Goodreads Blurb

How far would you go to find The One?

A simple DNA test is all it takes. Just a quick mouth swab and soon you’ll be matched with your perfect partner—the one you’re genetically made for.

That’s the promise made by Match Your DNA. A decade ago, the company announced that they had found the gene that pairs each of us with our soul mate. Since then, millions of people around the world have been matched. But the discovery has its downsides: test results have led to the breakup of countless relationships and upended the traditional ideas of dating, romance and love.

Now five very different people have received the notification that they’ve been “Matched.” They’re each about to meet their one true love. But “happily ever after” isn’t guaranteed for everyone. Because even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking than others…

My Review

Can the one, truly make you happy? This novel truly leaves your mind twisted. It revolved around 4 main characters who all were searching for their one true love, but what they found was not what they expected. A plotted twist that will leave you stunned until the very end. Human nature always has flaws even though your DNA tells you something else. This was an amazing thriller filled with secrets that will evolve as you read this messed up story. Let love come as it always does and don’t let Science change that. I rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Author Biography

John Marrs is the author of The One, The Good Samaritan, When You Disappeared, Her Last Move and Welcome to Wherever You Are.

A former freelance journalist based in London, England, he spent twenty-five years interviewing celebrities from the world of television, film and music for national newspapers and magazines until becoming a full-time author in 2018.

He has written for publications including the Guardian’s Guide and Guardian Online, Total Film, Huffington Post, Empire, Q, GT, the Independent, S Magazine and Company.

His books have been translated into twenty different languages and The One is soon to be a major new Netflix series.

Please follow my blog and leave a comment below to be entered. Get a chance to read the book everyone is buzzing about.

Goodreads Blurb

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A READ WITH JENNA TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK 

NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK BY New York Times • Time • Marie Claire • Elle • Buzzfeed • Huffington Post • Good Housekeeping • The Week • Goodreads • New York Post • Publishers Weekly and many more

“This is a true beach read! You can’t put it down!” —Jenna Bush Hager, Today Show Book Club Pick

“Powerful . . . A twisting tale of love, loss, and dark family secrets.” —Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

A poignant and suspenseful drama that untangles the complicated ties binding three women—two sisters and their mother—in one Chinese immigrant family and explores what happens when the eldest daughter disappears, and a series of family secrets emerge, from the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Translation

It begins with a mystery. Sylvie, the beautiful, brilliant, successful older daughter of the Lee family, flies to the Netherlands for one final visit with her dying grandmother—and then vanishes.

Amy, the sheltered baby of the Lee family, is too young to remember a time when her parents were newly immigrated and too poor to keep Sylvie. Seven years older, Sylvie was raised by a distant relative in a faraway, foreign place, and didn’t rejoin her family in America until age nine. Timid and shy, Amy has always looked up to her sister, the fierce and fearless protector who showered her with unconditional love.

But what happened to Sylvie? Amy and her parents are distraught and desperate for answers. Sylvie has always looked out for them. Now, it’s Amy’s turn to help. Terrified yet determined, Amy retraces her sister’s movements, flying to the last place Sylvie was seen. But instead of simple answers, she discovers something much more valuable: the truth. Sylvie, the golden girl, kept painful secrets . . . secrets that will reveal more about Amy’s complicated family—and herself—than she ever could have imagined.

A deeply moving story of family, secrets, identity, and longing, Searching for Sylvie Lee is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive portrait of an immigrant family. It is a profound exploration of the many ways culture and language can divide us and the impossibility of ever truly knowing someone—especially those we love.

Goodreads Blurb

Have you ever thought about everything your brain does for you? It is always working to keep you alive and safe. (Plus it lets you think about funny stuff, too.) So why is the brain such a big deal? Because it makes you YOU, of course!

This funny and factual picture book from Heart and Brain creator Nick Seluk explains the science behind everything the brain helps you do: keeping your heart beating, telling you when you are sleepy, remembering stuff, and more. The brain is in charge of everything you do, every minute of every day for your entire life. That’s kind of a big deal.

Each spread features bite-sized text and comic-style art with sidebars sprinkled throughout. Anthropomorphized organs and body parts — recognizable from Nick Seluk’s New York Times bestselling book — help readers learn through funny jokes and comic panels. Funny, smart, and accessible, The Brain Is Kind of a Big Deal is a must-have!

My Review

Perfect book to teach kids about the anatomy of the brain. This book has so much information about the function of the brain and the other important players in the role of sending messages to the brain and the other organs. The illustrations are superb. He uses comics, scenarios and important facts. A lot of thought and research went into writing this book. At the end of the book you will find a glossary for all the words used throughout the book. He also added wild facts about animals and their brains. I could have lived without the Cockroach and Leech fact, yuck. The author keeping up with our social media frenzy, gives us a sneak peek of the social media for the different body parts that were mentioned in the book, lol. This is a cute, fun and interactive book for children to learn all about our amazing brain and how it works. I rated 4 out of 5 stars. Book will be released on October 2019. Link to author page http://theawkwardyeti.com/

Author Biography

The Awkward Yeti and all of its work are authored and illustrated by cartoonist Nick Seluk. It was his dream since a kid to be funny, and someday he hopes to be. His New York Times Bestselling series Heart and Brain has brought popularity to the Awkward Yeti on social media, now he now copes with the pressure of trying to entertain millions of fans online.

In 2018, his first children’s book was published by Scholastic, titled The Sun is Kind of a Big Deal, the first in a 3-book series. You can find it in book stores and Scholastic fairs in schools.

Nick lives in Michigan, which has super big lakes surrounding it. He enjoys thinking about running, not actually running, and mostly doing nothing.

My Review

This is such a great book to teach children how to count. Barnaby and his friends go on a scavenger hunt hoping to get the most of the same item they find. The story includes numbers, measuring and you will find a couple of math equations. The illustrations are adorable. Overall, fun and interactive. The children will love to read this book. Fun at the beach couldn’t be better. I rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Goodreads Blurb

California Summer is a charming and beautiful love story about a former Hollywood producer who trades her cast list in for cookbooks in the hopes of following her dreams and finding new love.

Ben and Rosie are Hollywood’s newest director/producer dream team. After hitting it big at Sundance, it seems that their ten years of love and hard work are finally paying off. Rosie is happy making independent films, but Ben wants the A-List celebrity package: a house in Beverly Hills, fancy cars in the driveway, and his name on the biggest blockbusters. He’s willing to do anything, even sleep with the most famous producer in town, to get them.

Rosie is devastated by Ben’s affair, and she decides to take a break from show business. She accepts her best friend’s invitation to spend the summer at her parents’ estate in Montecito. It’s far away from L.A., the perfect place to start over.

In Montecito, Rosie meets a colorful cast of characters including Rachel, who owns a chocolate store, and Josh, a handsome local who splits his time between surfing and classic cars. Suddenly Rosie has new friends and a new purpose. She starts a business in the village, and her luck seems to be turning around. But Rosie knows all too well that success comes with a price, and the price might be losing love…again.

California Summer is a touching and romantic story about following your dreams but not letting them get in the way of love. 

My Review

Hollywood romance isn’t always have a happily ever after. Love takes shape in different forms and this wonderful summer novel takes you through so many wonderful romances, while enduring the heartache in the process. Rosie loved Ben and did everything he loved without seeing she was losing herself in their relationship. Sometimes having to many things in common in a relationship works out the opposite. You need to know what makes you happy and be open to your partner about your hopes and dreams. Only if a couple is open minded and are willing to stand by your dreams would a relationship last. This novel really had very sad moments but it was built with lasting memories of so much love and happiness. Wonderful plot filled with modern characters who brought the story beautifully together. Perfect summer read.  I rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Author Biography

Anita Hughes was born in Sydney, Australia. She attended UC Berkeley’s Masters in Creative Writing program. She is the author of MONARCH BEACH, MARKET STREET, LAKE COMO, FRENCH COAST, ROME IN LOVE, ISLAND IN THE SEA, SANTORINI SUNSETS, CHRISTMAS IN PARIS, WHITE SAND, BLUE SEA, EMERALD COAST, CHRISTMAS IN LONDON and CALIFORNIA SUMMER, and CHRISTMAS IN VERMONT published by St. Martin’s Press. ROME IN LOVE is coming to the HALLMARK channel in July, 2019!

Goodreads Blurb

This is a love story. Mike’s love story.

Mike Hayes fought his way out of a brutal childhood and into a quiet, if lonely life, before he met Verity Metcalf. V taught him about love, and in return, Mike has dedicated his life to making her happy. He’s found the perfect home, the perfect job, he’s sculpted himself into the physical ideal V has always wanted. He knows they’ll be blissfully happy together.

It doesn’t matter that she hasn’t been returning his emails or phone calls.
It doesn’t matter that she says she’s marrying Angus.

It’s all just part of the secret game they used to play. If Mike watches V closely, he’ll see the signs. If he keeps track of her every move he’ll know just when to come to her rescue…

A spellbinding, darkly twisted novel about desire and obsession, and the complicated lines between truth and perception, Our Kind of Cruelty introduces Araminta Hall, a chilling new voice in psychological suspense.

My Review

A mind twisted story of love that only could be understood between V and Mike. Can love blind your thoughts, feelings, reality and dreams? For Mike V was his love, calmness and understanding. A game of a mind twisted love can turn deadly after controlling a mind to act a certain way. Araminta truly made you see every thought, feeling, love and frustration Mike went through with his relationship with V and the loss of this possessive love. Love can blind people and not let them see what hurt they might be causing. This story was the first I have read in which the story was flipped around and the man was the obsessive women and the woman was the free spirited man. Let’s flip the tables and really dig into this cruel story of love.  I rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Author Biography

Araminta Hall began her career in journalism as a staff writer on teen magazine Bliss, becoming Health and Beauty editor of New Woman. On her way, she wrote regular features for the Mirror’s Saturday supplement and ghost-wrote the super-model Caprice’s column.

Goodreads Blurb

Every child feels different in some way, but Thuy feels “double different.” She is Vietnamese American and she has two moms. Thuy walks home one winter afternoon, angry and lonely after a bully’s taunts. Then a bird catches her attention and sets Thuy on an imaginary exploration. What if she could fly away like a bird? What if she could sprint like a deer, or roar like a bear? Mimicking the footprints of each creature in the snow, she makes her way home to the arms of her moms. Together, the three of them imagine beautiful and powerful creatures who always have courage – just like Thuy.

My Review

Thuy is being bullied at school because she has two mothers. On her way home while walking through the winter wonderland, she finds herself lonely and angry. She sees a bird and wonders why he was alone and didn’t leave with the other birds? She then goes on her own adventure of making footprints in the snow of animals that are powerful. She wanted to be like those animals so she felt resilience, strength, power and fearlessness. Her mother’s joined in and gave her mystical and powerful creatures like the Phoenix and Sarabha. They taught Thuy that all three of them together made them more powerful. Thuy created her own mystical creature name Arti-Thuy- Ngoc- Osaurus with happy heart feet.  I rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Author Biography

Bao Phi is an award-winning poet and children’s book author. His stunning debut A Different Pond, won a Caldecott Honor.

Goodreads Blurb

There was a black hole that swallowed the universe.
I don’t know why it swallowed the universe–oh well, it couldn’t get worse.
There was a black hole that swallowed a galaxy.
It left quite a cavity after swallowing that galaxy.
It swallowed the galaxies that filled universe.
I don’t know why it swallowed the universe–oh well, it couldn’t get worse.

Using the familiar rhythm of “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,” follow along as the black hole swallows up the universe and everything that exists in it, from the biggest to the smallest pieces of matter. The silly, vibrant artwork is sure to make stargazers of all ages smile.

BONUS: Included in the book are instructions to create a craft to turn a cell phone camera light into a black light. Use this new invention to reveal the secret, invisible text and artwork that reverses the story from nothing to the scientific creation of everything!

My Review  

The perfect book to teach children about the scientific components that make the universe and the colorful planets, stars and galaxies. Throughout the book you have this toothy black hole that is hungry to swallow everything he finds in the universe. His hunger leads him to darkness since nothing in space is there anymore. I loved the illustrations and how the repeated phrase kept getting larger as he kept swallowing away. The final book has a wonderful bonus. You will be able to go backwards with a black-light to work your way back to the story. Enjoy your time in space and watch out for that black hole. I rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Author Biography

Chris Ferrie, father of four and happy husband. His day job is academic research where he follows his curiosity through the word of quantum physics. His passion for communicating science has led him from the most esoteric topics of mathematical physics to more recently writing children’s books.

During the day you will find him as a senior lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney and Centre for Quantum Software and Information. His research interests include quantum estimation and control, and, in particular, the use of machine learning to solve statistical problems in quantum information science. Hr obtained his PhD in Applied Mathematics from Institute for Quantum Computing and University of Waterloo (Canada) in 2012.