Beautiful writing! Might be a "must read" for parents
355219
Beautiful writing!  Might be a "must read" for parents, grandparents or close friends of a toddler.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if all children received this introduction to nature.
31838
A divorced couple, both in their forties, dealing with the loss of their 11-year-old son. Before he died, he became friends with a 104-year-old woman, Ona Vitkus. Afterwards, the parents and Ona are drawn together because of the boy. All three of them are engaging, but it was especially a pleasure to read about a very old woman who's still mentally strong, who thinks and feels deeply, and who dispenses hard-earned grace to the younger people who unwittingly look to her for comfort. The story portrays the parents moving beyond grief, but this beautifully written book is far broader than that. Ona in particular has such a rich history, yet she was strangely passive in her own life until something happens to shake her out of it, at an age when she was far from young. All three of the characters demonstrate my belief that, as long as we're alive and thinking, we can grow. It's a hopeful book, but I cried at the end, because it was so beautifully written I almost hated to lose these characters. Well done.
4326642
I was sucked into the zone of "Through the Crimson Mirror" from the first sentence. As a reader I was able to appreciate the somber philosophical writing style of author Daniel Alexander. As a writer I understood the need to put his emotions into words and as a reviewer I appreciated his parenting observations.
The eBook is less a do's and don'ts of parenting and more of a consider this when you do that collection of very important ideas.  As the subtitle implies "Through the Crimson Mirror" is a biographical reflection such a complicated way of saying "how I got to be me".  Daniel Alexander's story is a reminder that there is no set formula to raising the perfect child yet there are some things that we as parents can do to not raise a troubled child.
If you are one who likes to pick up a book and read progressively, step one do this step two do that, you may have difficulty digesting the information in the book. There are "Symphonies" and "plays" and "scenes" in lieu of chapters. Don't put the book down. I suggest you find a quiet space, take a deep breath and read one word at a time.
"Through the Crimson Mirror" is a direct reflection of the author Daniel Alexander's personal experience and it therefore reflects such.  It terms of parenting you may find some areas that you agree 100 percent and there may be some things that you strongly disagree with. Hopefully, upon completion of this book you will grow not just as a parent but as an individual.

I receive a complimentary copy of the book in order to provide and honest review.
3974019
This book is cute, well-written, and illustrated very well. It's obviously a little under my age group, but I think it'd be a great read for anyone with a daughter. It's very poetic.

A lot of 'heart' went into the creation of this little book. I truly respect the author for writing it. It's a fine ode to wonderful parents everywhere, and their most special gifts: their children.

--David L. Dostaler
Author, Challenger RPG

Edit: I only have two 'beefs' with the book. 1. It's written only with a daughter in mind (if you have little boys around too, you're pretty much out of luck) and 2. There are far too many advertisements at the back. Other than that, a fine book.
3337159
Some people write because they are gifted at shaping sentences into beautiful, poetic expressions. Holding a book from a gifted writer is like drinking out of a stemmed glass of fine crystal. The look and feel is captivating, even when the wine inside was poured from a cardboard box. Other people write because they have a story worth telling. Depending on the significance of the narrative the quality of the serving cup can be somewhat overlooked. So when you find a writer who not only has the talent for words but also a tale to tell, you have a found a rare gift.

When I started reading Sarah Cunningham's second book, "Picking Dandelions," I knew I had found one of those memoirs that were worth championing both for its prose and its purpose. Often times Christian books seem nothing more than an outline from a speaker's favorite sermon that have been fluffed up to fit between the covers. Even when the message is worth sharing the art of story telling lacks any creativity that gives the book real body. But my early response to "Picking Dandelions" was that Sarah Cunningham could write. And as I continued, fully enjoying her story telling, I recognized its significance as well.

Cunningham describes her "Search for faith among life's weeds" from her days of growing up the daughter of a Baptist minister to her current roles as a teacher and new mother. Along the way she recognizes that her faith wasn't a "one and done" event like a sinner's prayer, but incorporates a lifetime of growing. Her journey to and through this understanding is full of imagery that will pull the reader into their own faith pilgrimage as well.

Though broken into nine sections, Cunningham's book has three main parts. The first two sections tell of the observations she had about faith as a child and adolescent. The next couple of sections concentrate on the segment of her life when she attempted to change the world around her. (There is a very poignant section where she describes her various outreach positions that sprung from her internships while at a Christian college and her staff roles at a church.) About half way through the book her energies are turned inwards as she realizes her attempts at creating a new Eden means she has to embody that garden within herself.

What does it mean to change? Does it matter if your faith is stale? How do you go about dealing with spiritual weeds? Cunningham asks these questions of herself, never getting preachy with the readers, which make this dandelion wine a rare, and worth imbibing, vintage.
3783984
I'm a mother of three (6, 8, 10 yrs) looking for excellent literature for my kids. I downloaded the Kindle version to preview The Green Ember. Little did I expect to be engrossed for hours, taking in this beautifully-told tale. Smith has crafted a story that draws you in from the prologue, making you want to know who these brave characters are and what the back story is. I found myself rooting for the characters, wanting to journey with them, discover more of their history and world with them. When I finished the story late last night, I was crestfallen but then heartened that there is yet another book ahead. The language and grammar are not "dumbed-down" for kids, which I appreciate. The themes of courage, morality, perseverance, good vs evil...these are timeless and meaningful and resonate with children and adults alike. Our world - our kids - need more stories like this to read and ponder. Ones that will encourage and build them up and point them toward The Greatest Story.
262721
This slim, beautifully-written book packs a powerful punch and make a terrific Mothers Day present. Shapiro provides a sharply observed, intimate and exquisite look at the underside of her marriage. At times, you feel that she and her husband are standing naked before you, the view is that close-up and personal. Candor is her strength and anyone who has been in a decades-relationship with a significant other will recognize much of what Shapiro describes here: The longstanding love, the frequent frustration, the occasional competition, the demands of aging parents and sick children, the mutual dependency, the financial vulnerability, the tenderness, the lust, the commitment to keep showing up for each other, and the grace that comes with the gradual acceptance of imperfection and knowledge that your lover is trying his or her best,  By describing in candid detail the tiny cracks in her marriage, Shapiro illustrates that these cracks don't add up to damage, but rather to strength---an art that the Japanese call Kinsugi (golden joinery), in which cracks in pottery are repaired with gold, silver or platinum, so that breakage and repair are considered part of the vital history of a piece rather than something to hide.  (Thank you Wikipedia.) There are some gorgeous sentences in this book. Here are some of my favorites:
Where does hope go when it vanishes?
At 40 my mother died. And then a long, merciful stretch of ordinary days.
There is no other life than this. You would not have stumbled into the vastly imperfect, beautiful, impossible present.
It was not the education I wanted, but it was the one I got.
The more dangerous the situation, the slower his pulse.
We were struggling contented, bewildered, joyful, full of longing, grief-stricken, fearful, searching, at peace.
But I can no longer say to M. that were just beginning. Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. That solid yet light thing---our journeyis no longer new. He identified my mothers body. We took turns holding our seizing child. We have watched his mother disappear in plain sight. We have raised Jacob together. We know each other in a way that young couple couldn't have fathomed. Our shared vocabularyour own language---will die with us. We are the treasure itself: fathoms deep, in the world we have made again and again.
1444417
Just from reading the introduction, it is immediately apparent that this book is written with lots of love and inspiration. It is truly a beautiful book for any family and is filled with not only budget-friendly, but creative and fun projects you and your child (of ANY gender!) will deeply enjoy. And I don't mean in the sense that you're happy they're happy but the activity kind of sucks for you. NO. I mean these are generally fun for ALL participants, and in many cases, will yield some really neat-looking goodies!

The fun stuff inside includes art projects using commonplace and inexpensive components, repurposing things that might have been discarded (desiccated oranges, matchboxes, stuff from leftover candle wax from used candles, etc.), as well as some learning things, and a couple of cool tricks.

The only note I have is the title. I don't really understand why the author chose to target this to girls, when these activities don't generally feel gendered. That, plus the fact it is likely to discourage boys because it appears to specifically be Not for them. I like to think we are moving pass that kind of thinking, so parents out there: This is for ALL your kids!
1450124
Amy's new memoir STRANGERS TEND TO TELL ME THINGS is inspiring, beautifully written, romantic, real, wrenching, and in many ways life-changing because it deals with family, parenting, aging parents, death, moving back home as an adult, and in the end the universal experience we all share of the ups and downs of living a life. I was most moved by the way the book is also a love letter from Amy to her own Mom.  This book will be a treasured gift for MOTHER'S DAY or really for ANY DAY.
3342760
When I recieved this, I read it in starts but it began to creep into my consciousness.  After reading so many books on children, I began to take solace in these simple reflections on what it truly means to be a parent.  Only in recent decades did the word 'parenting' even become a verb.

Martin translates the 81 poems or songs of the Tao to relate to modern parents.  The simple prose and obvious truths resonate, buy you must let them sink in.  Read it sparingly, and not necessarily in any order.  I've highlighted half my book, sent passages to friends and find myself going back to it often.  I have given many copies of this book to new parents.

Here are just a few examples:

#22 If you want them to have much, show them how to enjoy little.

#67  teach your children compassion, pateince and simplicity  ... some say this is absurd. Thy would teach instead, ambition, drive and consumption.

#76  Children become confused when parents become rigid, holding rules above love.  Be consistently flexible.  Hold tight only to compassion.

28 If you complain about politics.... your children will learn to whine instead of laugh

52  Seeing your pain, they forget as well and everyone is in darkness.

Imagine, if #67 were true, and a child were a patient, compassionate and simple being,  oh what a joy!  What a rarity in today's high self esteem, over scheduled and all-about-me culture.

It transformed me and the type of person I've become.  Enjoy.
925966
This is a fantastic book!  Little Things Long Remembered by Susan Newman is perfect for parents at any stage of raising children.  The layout of the book is ideal for busy parents who could use a recharge of their parental battery, but who don't have the capability to dedicate large amounts of time reading a traditionally-structured book. Susan Newman offers helpful ideas to help you connect with your child, from gestures to outings, and they are categorized by how long it may take to which days or special circumstances may benefit from one of these thoughtful ideas.  I also thoroughly enjoyed her cardinal rules.  They are nothing good parents don't already know, but I feel like I should laminate them and hang on the bathroom mirror.  Not only has this book given me great inspiration and reminds me to reconnect (that proverbial pep talk that everyone who knows they are doing a great job needs to give them the push to continue doing so), but validated that some of the thoughts I'd already and practiced with my young daughter.
Little Things Long Remembered would be a perfect gift for an expecting mom, new parents, or even for grandparents.  I have read some reviews that state that it's not applicable to stay-at-home parents or homeschooling parents, but I must disagree.  The entire book is not geared toward any one group of parent or family.  In fact, there are some ideas that involve siblings, and having only one child, I didn't feel that this entire book was not worthy because it included a family dynamic that doesn't apply to me.  I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
1129738
The story of Jillian, her husband and her son, and how they came to be a family, is moving, intense, inspiring and compelling. What also drew me was how beautifully written it is. There is remarkable detail in her description of events, which kept me interested and engaged for certain.  But there was also poetry in there. I found myself admiring how she looked at things and, even more, how she put them into words. The writing is authentic, introspective and thoughtful. This book got my head and my heart, and I'm so happy I read it.
4801798
Once I started, I didn't want to put it down. The language and writing are so beautiful, I don't think I can do justice in a review. If I was a 5th-7th grade classroom teacher, I'd read aloud "Warm-Up" which is the first several pages of the book, book talk the rest and then leave it in the classroom library where surely it will be snatched up quickly and passed on from kid to kid. This would be a good book for a literature circle to read and discuss. Lots of content and questions for critical thinking. Might be interesting for students who've read this to do some additional nonfiction reading on European professional basketball and also the chronic medical condition called hypertension; this information might serve to deepen or expand the student's understanding of the story.
8828
My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh is a book that doesnt neatly fit into any genre, but one in which the writing is so beautiful I think anyone interested should read it. The story is about a girl named Lindy Simpson, who was raped at the age of fifteen in her Baton Rouge neighborhood, and is told from the point of view of one of the suspects, who just happens to be in love with her. Yet while this is a mystery novel to discover who the culprit is, its much more than that. My Sunshine Away gives readers an inside look to a southern neighborhood that is replete with fascinating characters and somewhat unbelievable events.

I first want to discuss the age group for which this book is appropriate. Ive seen My Sunshine Away listed in both the young adult and adult sections of bookstores. While the story does follow the protagonists teenage life, for the most part, I personally consider this an adult novel. There are many graphic scenes, and I think the content is more appropriate for an older audience. That being said, I would recommend the book for the ages of 16 and up, but, as always, thats a choice every individual reader has to make.

In terms of the story itself, I have to say Ive never read anything quite like this before. The writing is very well done. I felt as if the protagonist was speaking directly to me, but in a way that is more poetic than colloquial. There are many quotable passages, and there is a depth to the writing as well. I don't read literary fiction often, so I did struggle to find some of the metaphors and how they connected to the story. My paperback edition contains a discussion section, and I found that really helpful. It added to my understanding of the book, and also increased the storys rereadability.

My Sunshine Away did have a slow pace, especially at the beginning, despite being a short book of about 300 pages. I think this is mainly due to the way time is used in the book. Instead of following a linear format, the protagonist jumps forward and backward in time. This does help to create a vivid picture of his childhood, but also made me slow down to ensure I got all of the details in order.

My favorite part of the novel is definitely getting to see inside a neighborhood in the south. Im from the northeast, and am so interested with the southern culture that is in some ways quite different from my own. The characters in the novel are so richly written, and they are beyond unique. The author does an amazing job at mixing in shocking and disturbing moments with the normalcy of everyday events. It balanced out the story well to have a rape on page one, and then childhood games between the neighborhood children for the following chapters.

Similarly, I loved how real life events, such as the Challenger explosion, are included in the book. This makes everything seem so real and vivid. I had an easier time picturing our characters as real people, and that made my emotional connection to them grow strong.

Finally, the ending was a bit hot and cold for me. I do really love how the book wrapped up, but I was let down by the mysterys resolve. I recognize that Lindys rape is not the sole focus of My Sunshine Away, but I almost feel like she wasn't given the respect she deserved when the rapists identity was just glossed over in the end. Its definitely something to think about after completing the book.

Overall, I did really enjoy My Sunshine Away, and I highly recommend it. I think this is a good book for those who want to break into the mystery genre, and those who love family dramas. You will get all of that and more in this novel. I look forward to reading more form M.O. Walsh in the future, and giving this one another read at some point, too.

*This review originally posted on Adventures in Polishland
3576340
For parents looking for books written for children about death,I recommend this beautifully composed story. Children are exposed to death in a variety of ways and this is a book that can help waylay their fears, allow them to  feel with the young boy and experience his healing.  Howard Kaplan's words  put the reader into the story with his lyrical prose and images. As a woman  who faced the loss of her mother at a young age, I felt like Howard had  captured the emptiness and the lost feelings I had at the time. Howard,as  your sister who sat at that piano and played "Fur Elise" over and  over again with that G Clef lamp over my head, I congratulate you on  your  ability to combine poetry and prose and create a beautiful book.
4451072
In every parent's life, there comes the bittersweet time when their child grows up and leaves.  This may happen when a child goes to college or the military, or just moves out and starts their own life in their own living quarters.  While, as parents, our biggest job is to raise our children to be fully functioning adults, it is also difficult to end the years of dependence on the parents' wisdom and everyday guidance.

Dear Austin is David M. Perkins' letter to his son as Austin leaves his home to start his adult life in college.  David covers all the themes we want to share with our kids.  He talks of love, career, choices and beliefs.  He asks only that his son consider what he wants of life and then follow his own dreams, drawing on the gifts his parents gave him for eighteen years to make his own way in the adult world.

This is a beautiful book.  It will be a rare parent who doesn't feel a tug at their heartstrings when reading this, and a rare young adult that can't benefit from it's honest portrayal of the next stage of life.  In addition to being a great read, it is a great gift for other parents as they also move through this time.  This book is recommended for all readers.
1613547
My husband was an English Literature major (with a second major in pre-med) at UCLA. He used to write the most beautiful poetry and is highly trained in the field of poetry. I am the founder and president of griefHaven, a nonprofit organization that I started in 2003 after the death of our daughter, Erika Whitmore Godwin, who was not only our only child, but also my best friend. Erika was 32 when she died in my arms from an extremely rare sinus cancer. It was the gut-wrenching and unrelenting pain that came flooding in after her death that inspired me to start griefHaven. Today, our website, www.griefHaven.org, receives over a million visits a year, and I have gone on to become a renowned grief specialist, speaker, and counselor.

Every day griefHaven receives requests from people who have written books/poetry about their grief journeys, wanting us to promote their work and/or offer it on our website. We have guidelines we use so that every book offered has been thoroughly reviewed and only then recommended if it passes what we know will be helpful and hopeful to our readers. This is how we came to hear about Vanilla Milk.

As I read Vanilla Milk, I hung on every word. When the memoir was over, I was sad. Not because the poetry was sad, but because I wanted more!  Why? Because Chanel's poetry is more than just her own, unique story of the death of her son, Riley. It's more than a mother's outcry to let the world know what she experiences. It's a careful and thoughtful use of every word, every idea, every moment that you will spend with her. My husband said, "I need to meet this woman. She's amazing, Susan. I haven't read poetry that beautifully done in so long. She has the gift."

I hung on every word. I went up and down with Chanel. I loved her and her family as I got to know them. I kept saying, "Yes! That's right! That is how it is." Yes, I relate to her. Of course I do. I am a mother whose child has died. Yet she has given us all a gift. I promise you that you will be moved to a special place. I stop short of saying reading Vanilla Milk will change your life, but at least I can promise you that it will change your outlook on life. Do yourself a favor and get this book. Buy it for your friends. Give it as gifts. Put it on your coffee table. But don't waste a word. Sit down when it's quiet, lights soft, you are relaxed, and take the journey Chanel has offered you. Who knows what you will find when you get to the end.

Susan Whitmore, Founder & President, griefHaven