bookreview Archives ⋆ Page 3 of 9 ⋆ Rachel Bustin

Rachel April 25, 2016

My First Baby Books

Happy Monday! Well it’s another Monday again so #BookReviewMondays is here today and this week I would love to tell you about baby girl’s First Baby Books.

Back in February when we registered baby girls birth at our local registry office, they gave us a lovely book purple book bag from Bookstart containing a couple of My First Baby Books.

Included was a little booklet explaining about how important it is to start reading with your little one from a young age. For the past few weeks baby girl and I have spent few minutes each afternoon looking and reading through My First Baby Books. I know she is only 11 weeks old and her attention span is very short, but she loves colours and now touches the pages so I believe it all contributes to her learning.

The black and white Baby Talk book is her favourite. Baby girl does have a fascination of all things black and white. She stares at her dads black and white t-shirts when he is holding her and she loves our black and white cushions on the sofa.

The Peekaboo Park book that was in the Bookstart pack is a fun little colourful book. It has cute liitle flaps that you turn over as you are reading through. Baby girl is not really interested in this book yet, but I am sure she will be soon!

Before baby girl was born we bought her a couple of first baby books, one being baby’s very first lullabies book and the other baby’s very first touchy-feely book. I love all types of books and I would love my baby girl to be the same, so I couldn’t resist getting her some books to start off her little library. The lullaby sounds are very good. Soothing and run the full length of the nursery rhyme.

I love the inside of the touchy-feely book, it’s full of bright colours and different textures for touching. It is perfect for helping babies develop their sensory skills.

I am really enjoying our journey discovering great little books.

What are your children’s favourite books?

Disclosure: I am a part of the Amazon Affiliate scheme so if you click on a link to Amazon and buy, I will recieve a little bit back, so thanks if you do.

Rachel April 18, 2016

Book Review: Mandalas to Crochet by Haafner Linssen

A few weeks back I won this gorgeous crochet book from Search Press on Twitter on how to make Mandalas by Haafner Linssen I wasn’t sure at first what a mandala was, I actually had to google it!

Well a mandala is a circular figure, pattern or geometric design representing the universe in Hindu and Buddhist symbolism.

The book is very detailed. It contains 30 great mandala patterns for you to crochet. There are three chapters in the book, beginning with the essential information you may need. Including a crochet refresher course with the stitches and techniques needed and a beautiful section on all the different yarns you can use. The book then moves onto different colour combinations and how you can create a colour plan.

There are many mandala patterns to choose from so there is a section on called the mandala selector.

The book then moves into the patterns. This is where the author has chosen her 30 favourite patterns for the readers to try. There are patterns ranging from simple to advanced using very technical stitches.

The final chapter is mandala projects you can get stuck into. This is the most exciting part of the book in my opinion! There are all sorts of things you can make with the mandala patterns, from a boho bag to table mats, scarves and blankets.

The author of this book, Haafner Linssen is a Dutch blogger and crochet designer.

Disclosure

rachelbustin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to rachelbustin.com

Rachel April 11, 2016

Book Review: The Reflections of Queen Snow White by David Meredith

I was approached by the author David Meredith to have a look at his ebook The Reflections of The Queen Snow White, to see what I thought of it and to write a review on my findings. The book cover is a beautiful painting of an older Queen Snow White looking into a pond, the artwork is by Matt Hughes and is just stunning, but don’t be fooled by the pretty cover. A pretty cover does not mean a nice and fluffy fairytale!

Book Description

On the eve of her only daughter, Princess Raven’s wedding, an ageing Snow White finds it impossible to share in the joyous spirit of the occasion. The ceremony itself promises to be the most glamorous social event of the decade. Snow White’s castle has been meticulously scrubbed, polished and opulently decorated for the celebration. It is already nearly bursting with jubilant guests and merry well-wishers. Prince Edel, Raven’s fiance, is a fine man from a neighbouring kingdom and Snow White’s own domain is prosperous and at peace. Things could not be better, in fact, except for one thing:

The king is dead.

The queen has been in a moribund state of hopeless depression for over a year with no end in sight. It is only when, in a fit of bitter despair, she seeks solitude in the vastness of her own sprawling castle and climbs a long disused and forgotten tower stair that she comes face to face with herself in the very same magic mirror used by her stepmother of old.

It promises her respite in its shimmering depths, but can Snow White trust a device that was so precious to a woman who sought to cause her such irreparable harm? Can she confront the demons of her own difficult past to discover a better future for herself and her family? And finally, can she release her soul-crushing grief and suffocating loneliness to once again discover what “happily ever after” really means?

Only time will tell as she wrestles with her past and is forced to confront The Reflections of Queen Snow White.

My Review

I have always loved the story of Snow White so I jumped at the chance to read and review this great looking short story/novella. It is based after the fairytale ending of Snow White and Prince Charming living together happily ever after.

In this story Snow Whites Prince Charming is dead. She is overcome with grief and depression and one day comes across the magic mirror that her evil stepmother once had. She discovers through the mirror that she is a strong person and can get through this depression.

This novella is not a nice fairytale, so if that is what you are looking for, this is not for you. It contains emotional abuse and violence and is a rather dark story. Quite disturbing in fact. Its a really thought provoking book and took me through many emotions, one minute I was upset and the next minute I felt angry.

The Reflections of Queen Snow White is a story I am happy to keep on my Kindle for many years to come. It is definitely one I will be coming back to read again. It is very well written, the descriptions are excellent. My only criticism is that I finished too quickly!

I gave The Reflections of Queen Snow White by David Meredith 4 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition 155 pages
Published 2nd October 2013 by David Meredith

Disclaimer: All the views and opinions expressed are my own. Book cover image and book description from Goodreads for purpose of this review only. I am also a part of the Amazon Affiliate scheme so if you click on a link to Amazon and buy, I will recieve a little bit back, so thanks if you do.

Rachel April 4, 2016

Book Review : Unwanted Truths by Tricia Haddon

Welcome back to #BookReviewMondays, It has been a while since I actually picked up a book (or my Kindle) due to having very little time with a newborn. Baby girl takes up all of my time these days!

Anyway I actually started Unwanted Truths by Tricia Haddon while I was in hospital being induced waiting for baby girl to arrive. I was in the delivery suite reading away in between contractions trying to take my mind off things. My midwife in there with us said to me that’s a great way to distract yourself from the contractions! It was only in the early stages of labour, the pain got too bad to carry on reading for too long!

So onto the book – I received an ebook copy of Unwanted Truths by Tricia Haddon from netgalley to read and review, and so I downloaded it to my Kindle.

Book Description

Family secrets – we all have them. But some are more devastating than others…

Jenny Porter knows the name of every capital city in the world, but that doesn’t mean she has all the answers. When she discovers she is adopted, she has nobody to turn to and, unable to trust her parents or talk to her friends, she buries her feelings.

A few years later, Jenny is happily married. She doesn’t love her husband, but she likes him enough to make the marriage work and raise a family. After the death of her parents, she finds herself reunited with her childhood sweetheart, Martin Barretti, and suddenly everything begins to unravel…

Jenny and Martin begin a passionate affair and make the difficult decisions to leave their families and spend the rest of their lives together. Now living with the love of her life, Jenny decides to use the change in adoption law to find information about her birth family and is horrified to discover the truth.

Will Jenny tell Martin what she discovered and risk their future falling apart?

Or will she do as her adopted mother did years before, and keep her secret?

Unwanted Truths is a captivating novel that delves into the emotions and issues involved in adoption, touching on the change in British society from the repressive 1950s to the liberal 1970s/80s. Set mainly in Brighton, East Sussex and London, it is a gripping read for fans of contemporary fiction and romance novels with a twist.

My Review

I found the book slow to start with, and unfortunately it never got any better. It’s a well written novel that goes back and forth in Jenny’s life when she was a teenager right up to adulthood, but it lacks that oomph. I do like it being set in the 1950’s then in the 1970’s/1980’s though and gives us the idea of what life was like in the 1970’s for a teenage girl.

The main character Jenny is a smart girl and I did like following her life up to when she has her own family. The only part I found interesting was when Jenny discovers information about her birth family. There wasn’t really a lot more of the book that was intriguing and wanting you to read more. As I was reviewing it I did feel as if I should finish the book to get the whole story.

I have given Unwanted Truths by Tricia Haddon 2 out of 5 stars

Kindle Edition: 336 pages

Published 28th April 2015 by Matador

Disclaimer: All the views and opinions expressed are my own. Book cover image and book description from Goodreads for purpose of this review only.

Rachel February 1, 2016

Book Review: First One Missing by Tammy Cohen

Here we are at the beginning of February, where did January go? and another #BookReviewMonday. January seemed to flyby this year it must be because I’m still waiting for my baby girl to arrive and I have had so much to organise and prepare ready for her arrival! She really is a little stubborn baby! I will be going in on Saturday to be induced if shes not here this week so I won’t be around for next weeks #BookReviewMonday, but hope to be back really soon.

On to my book review for today. This weeks book is called First One Missing by Tammy Cohen. I recieved this book by being selected to review it through Netgalley. I also have one of her other books callled When She Was Bad on my To-Read list.

Book Description:

There are three things no-one can prepare you for when your daughter is murdered:

– You are haunted by her memory day and night

– Even close friends can’t understand what you are going through.

– Only in a group with mothers of other victims can you find real comfort.

But as the bereaved parents gather to offer support in the wake of another killing, a crack appears in the group that threatens to rock their lives all over again.

Welcome to the club no one wants to join.

My Review:

What drew me to this book was the the book description. It’s very fast paced, to the point with no waffle. It makes the book very intriging and part mystery as you don’t even get to know who the characters are.

The story is a very emotional, chilling and psychological thriller. It envolves the abduction and murder of young girls, and what this does to the families left behind. The mother of the first murdered girl, Helen Purvis set up a support group for the other mother’s called Megan’s Angels named after her murdered daughter.

I think it gives the reader lots of questions throughout, like how many killers are there? Why are some of the family members acting strangly? It will keep you on your toes while you are reading through.

The book is told through various points of view from the different character’s throughout the book, which does make it fairly hard to start with figuring out who is who. Once I got into it though it developed very quickly and was hard to put down near the end. Especially when I got right to the end to a really great twist that I never saw coming.

First One Missing is really well written by Tammy Cohen and I cannot wait to read more of her books.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for the review ebook copy.

I have given First One Missing by Tammy Cohen 4 out of 5 stars.

Kindle Edition: 266 pages

Published 2nd July 2015 Random House UK

Disclosure I am also a part of the Amazon Affiliate scheme so if you click on a link to Amazon and buy, I will recieve a little bit back, so thanks if you do.

Rachel January 25, 2016

Book Review: Blackened Cottage by A.E Richards

Hello and welcome back to #BookReviewMondays, this week I haven’t had as much time as I wanted to keep on top of my reading. What with midwife appointments, scans and getting the last bits in order for when the baby comes, time has just disappeared. My due date is actually today, but still no sign of her arriving yet!

This weeks book review is on a novel called Blackened Cottage by A.E Richards that I read a few weeks back. It has been on my Kindle for a while but was one I just didn’t get round to when I downloaded it.

Book Description:

Victorian England, 1875. When her mother leaves Blackened Cottage, Lisbeth grows increasingly terrified for herself and her little brother Eddie. Desperate, she befriends a disfigured girl, but when her father finds out he imprisons her in the cottage and invites his lecherous friend to court her. Lisbeth discovers that her father has sent Eddie away and escapes to find him. Pursued by the two men, she embarks on a dangerous journey and captures the eye of a psychopath who seeks to possess her body, mind and soul. As Lisbeth flees, she is shocked to discover how little she remembers about her life, and unprepared for the terrifying truths she must face.

My Review:

What drew me to this book was the format that it is was written in. The story is told in a series of diary entries, letters and narrative. Sometimes I like to read this style of novel as its breaks up the book in different ways, and gives you different perspectives.

Blackened Cottage is a type of psychological thriller, suspense/horror set in Victorian times with a Gothic feel. It’s main character Lisbeth is a young woman who seems to be haunted by her past in which she cannot really remember. Lisbeth lives with her father and brother who she looks after. All is not what it seems in their little Blackened Cottage, Lisbeth is being kept captive by her deranged father.

When her brother is sent away to a school in London, Lisbeth is determined to go and find him. This means escaping and going on the run. She is chased by her father and his strange friend all the way to London. There are many twists and turns along the way with a great ending I never expected!

Blackened Cottage is beautifully written in a dark, grim, and Gothic way. Perfect for thriller fans who like that slightly different creepy feel in a book.

I have given Blackened Cottage by A.E. Richards 4 out of 5 stars.

Kindle Edition 212 pages

Published 13th August 2012 by A.E. Richards

Disclaimer: All the views and opinions expressed are my own. Book cover image and book description from Goodreads for purpose of this review only.

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