Showing posts with label illness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label illness. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Book Review - My Singing Nana by Pat Mora

Photo Credit - Amazon

The cute picture book depicts a family that has a member who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. It shows a child who is adjusting to life with his beloved grandmother who is forgetting things. The story helps instill the values of family, heritage, and relying on happy memories during tough times. A cute read for little ones who has beloved family member with the disease.



 **Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Saturday, April 13, 2019

Book Review - The Farm by Joanne Ramos

Photo Credit - Amazon


Somewhere hidden in the Hudson Valley, New York is  luxurious retreat with every amenity imaginable available. Participants have access to organic meals, personal fitness trainers, massages, beautiful and personal rooms. People who stay at the retreat reeive a small fortune in exchange for living there for full nine months of their pregnancy on the retreat property. The hosts are not allowed to leave the property and have their movements monitored in hopes that they will produce the perfect baby for someone else.

Jane is recently divorced single mother, who lives with her older cousin, Ate in a boarding house. As an immigrant from the Philippines, she has limited opportunities for a better life.  She is desperate to find a job that pays enough to take care of her daughter. Without much options, she takes on the opportunity to be a host at the Golden Oaks retreat. Jane becomes homesick and begins to miss her daughter. She yearns to be reconnected with her life outside of Golden Oaks. However, she cannot leave the retreat otherwise, she will lose out of the bonus on deliverying her child.

When I first read the summary of this novel, I was very excited to start reading it. However, I felt disappointed after completing the novel. I felt like the novel built up some great horrorific story about the retreat but, didn't actually quite deliver. Yes, being monitored and having limited outside interaction is scary but, quite understandable for the safety and privacy of the clients. After reading the novel, the story felt pointless especially, the ending. It was abrupt and jarring. I am not sure what the purpose of not only the ending but, the entire book. After I finished reading the novel, I was left wanting more from it. Maybe a secret plot of producing multiple babies for each client and only the best speciem survives (yes, this makes me terrible human to say that but, I was hoping for something that was so shocking and scary). Although, I did like that the author included a lot of minority women but, as one can say, they were taken advantage of. Overall, I would have liked this book if it had more going on and the writing was smoother and more fluid.


*Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Book Review - Dunbar by Edward St. Aubyn

Photo Credit - Amazon
A modern re-imagination of Shakespeare's King Lear. The media mogul Henry Dunbar was once the powerful head of the successful Dunbar trust. After a falling out with his youngest daughter, Florence, he hands over the reigns to his two eldest daughters, Abby and Megan. However, Abby and Megan have ideas of their own, and institutionalized Henry, so they can have complete control over the family business and make more money. 

Dunbar laments his decision of cutting out his youngest daughter while being imprisoned in Meadowmeade. He makes friends with an alcoholic comedian and together they plot their escape. As he runs, his family is also on his trail. Will his beloved daughter, Florence be able to reach him in time?

I have read King Lear and enjoyed it. This remake pales in comparison. It feels more like a dark comedy than a tragedy. I also felt that there was very little plot and character development. Most of the pages were dedicated to run on descriptions that caused my eyes glazed over.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Friday, October 6, 2017

Book Review - Gathering the Threads by Cindy Woodsmall

Photo Credit - Amazon
The final novel in the "Amish of Summer Grove" series, shows the hardship Ariana Brenneman faces after she returns from the Englisch world.  After she experienced the outside world, Ariana is now questioning the old ways she was bought up and it causes chaos among her family and friends. Her Amish family is unsure why their sweet daughter now questions their authority while her Englisch family wonders why she blindly follows the faith. Will Ariana be able to restore peace among her family and herself?

While, I have not read the other two novels in the series, the author includes a few page summary of what happened in the two prior books. I am not sure if it's because I didn't read the other two books or the author's writing style, but I just couldn't get into the book. I like how this book had a different take on the Amish lifestyle and drama, but it felt like torture reading this book. It was slow and kept going on and on without adding to the story.


**Disclosure - I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion**