This week I finished Wet Silence by Sweta Srivastava Vikram, she tells the stories of Hindu widows who are voiceless as a result of their widowhood.
Each woman's unique story challenged my perceptions by being unashamed and honest. However, some of the poems, in my opinion, were too short to convey the story of an entire marriage. There were several that left me with unanswered questions, which I found interesting.
The glossary in the back of the book was fantastic, it helped me understand many of the terms used.
I will be rereading my favorites in the future.
If you would like your own copy you can find the book here: Wet Silence
I received a free copy of Wet Silence in exchange for my honest review, all opinions are my own.
My original intent when I chose to review A Pigeon's Tale was to read it to Madison, unfortunately that did not happen because we have all been sick and I did not want to lose my voice.
A Pigeon's Tale centers around a homing pigeon named Walter who has to flee after his coop is attacked. He makes friends in Old Dude and Hawk-Watcher who teach him skills he will need to fly South where is adopted by a human family, thwarts their cat, and learns a new language. Unfortunately, hawks and cats are the least of Walter's worries as he endeavors to save his friends during a catastrophe.
I was not expecting to enjoy A Pigeon's Tale nearly as much as I did as it is marketed towards children, but I was pleasantly surprised by the melding of genres: fantasy and science fiction that S. A. Mahan employs flawlessly.
I look forward to reading this book to Madison in the future because Mahan added pop culture and history references, unique characters, and tackled sickness in a way that helps children understand without being inappropriate.
This book would work well for children who are just beginning to read chapter books and adults can enjoy reading it to their children.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review, all opinions are my own. If you are interested in getting your own copy, you can find it here: A Pigeon's Tale.
Earlier this week I received a bottle and an accessory that would be great for new parents.
Photo: NippyLid Bottle
There is a little strap that holds the lid so it does not get lost and protects the nipple from getting dirty. The strap is very secure, but I did have a problem with it getting dirty when Madison put it on the ground. However, I would rather have the part that does not go into the baby's mouth get something on it.
Additionally, NippyLids is going to be giving away two NippyLid Bottles to readers! If you are interested in being added please comment on this post! I will choose two winners at random (sorry, family is not eligible).
*Winners will be chosen on December 20th!
If you are interested in having one of your own but cannot wait, you can find one here: NippyLid
I received this product free in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.
This week I decided to try a product that I was fairly skeptical about: a wine aerator made by Vino Aria.
When I decided to try it I poured and tasted glass without using the aerator and did the same with it in place. I used Cupcake wine, which is already sweet, and it tasted better. I immediately thought that it was because I knew which glass I had used it with so I gave John the two glasses without telling him which was which; he agreed that the aerated one had a superior taste.
I tested the seal between the aerator and the bottle by lifting it from the top and it stayed in place, the only problem I experienced was the black part shifting as I was putting it in the wine bottle.
The first time I placed the aerator in the bottle I had a little bit of trouble with it, but the second time I managed it without trouble. There is a second lip on the aerator that prevents drips, it's easy to clean, and would make a great gift- they even ship it in a fancy box.
In England, 1270 A.D., Auriella (pronounced yurr-ee-ella) flees her village after being accused of witchcraft. Pursued by nightmarish creatures, she struggles to accept the truth about her humanity. Filled with fairies, dwarves, pixies, dragons, and monsters, Knight of Light is an enthralling tale that will capture the imaginations of readers young and old. The Watchers Series has been described as Braveheart meets Supernatural.The mythology for the series is based on many theological texts from dozens of sects with correlating themes. Ancient writings include The Dead Sea Scrolls, The Traditional Apocrypha, The Pearl of Great Price, and The Kabbalah.
“The Watchers” are supernatural beings in human form whose duty it is to protect and guard mankind from the armies of darkness.Unfortunately, as the Book of Enoch mentions, some of these Watchers go bad. Although the mythology is based on these texts, Deirdra Eden’s The Watchers Series is written in a traditional fairytale style with a young girl’s discovery of incredible, but dangerous powers within herself, a cast of humorous side-kicks, a quest for greater self-discovery and purpose, and villains of epic proportions.
"My goal in writing is to saturate my books with intrigue, mystery, romance, and plot twists that will keep my readers in suspense. I want to see fingerprints on the front and back covers where readers have gripped the novel with white knuckles!Aside from writing, I enjoy jousting in arenas, planning invasions, horseback riding through open meadows, swimming in the ocean, hiking up mountains, camping in cool shady woods, climbing trees barefoot, and going on adventures." -Deirdra Eden
I started reading The Watchers: Knight of Light immediately after I received the free download (I received an ebook) and finished it in one sitting.
Auriella, the main character, is accused of being a witchcraft after saving some children from a fire and has to flee before she can be put on "trial" for being a witch. She escapes and finds herself in the clutches of Hazella who treats her like a slave. Auriella plans an escape with the help of her sidekicks Ruburt and Cassi, who help her discover her true power.
I liked how Dierdra Eden caught my attention immediately with her fiery descriptions, but I felt as if some of the background story needed to be elaborated on and more detail was needed in key parts. Towards the end of the book, key plot points are just glossed over with minimal information.
The characters are fairly static and Auriella consistently doubts herself despite it being obvious to the reader that there is more to her than the characters realize. It is written from her point of view which, as expected, offers insight into her character, but she still comes across as an underdeveloped character.
Despite its shortcomings, I feel as if Dierdra Eden had the potential for a fantastic story that just fell short. However, I believe this story would be better appreciated by a younger age group. I rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
As many of you know I have had problems with my shoulders and other joints because of their above average mobility.
I injured my left shoulder in May and have since been trying to build up the muscles that help me keep them in place, unfortunately my joints are more prone to injury so I have to be mindful of exercises that I take part in.
I recently received some Limm Resistance Loop Bands and have been able to integrate them into my daily routine. The package was a small box with 5 bands of different weights and elasticity, a mesh bag for storage, and a booklet with information on using them. I also received an email from the company with more tips which I found to be a helpful addition.
If you have visited my blog before you may remember that I had not decided on a name yet, but a fleeting moment of inspiration resulted in "The Sassy Scheetz." Please let me know if you like it here or on Facebook.
People who follow what I post on Facebook know that I recently learned a little bit about HTML and I was able to use it to add something that I feel is important, even if there probably was an easier way to do it.
If you look in the upper-left of my blog you'll see a fancy pants button that says "Donate." This is something I feel very strongly about because I lost two people I knew, but Katie lost her son Daniel and his best friend, David when they were struck by an impaired driver. They were inseparable. She cannot afford the funeral expenses for Daniel, nearly 3 years later, and he doesn't even have a headstone yet.
If you can help, please click on the link. It doesn't get any easier than this.
I loved the blog post "why she stays" except for one small thing: it is not because you are too beautiful.
Verbal abuse is real and no one should have to listen to cruel words tossed haphazardly in their direction and what you look like has no basis on this. I understand that a stranger in a restaurant does not know you other than what your appearance, but no one should be "brainwashed" and "broken."
It doesn't matter that you are pretty, you shouldn't have to listen to someone insulting you.
You are strong enough to leave.
You should not have to listen because you are a person.
