[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] ⭐⭐⭐1/2 Impeccably researched and historically rich, this book details the troubling story of Lady Isabelle d’Albret Courteault, beginning in the year 1453, as she must manage events in her life that are brutal, intense, and not that uncommon in this turbulent historical context. A mystic with visions and…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ In parts tender, and almost entirely tragic, I found this short novella incredibly moving. A gentle, compassionate and insightful look at origins, or sources - of identity, shame, grief, anger, despair - (and interestingly, of words themselves) and the roots that provide definition, and a past, that…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ What child (or adult for that matter) hasn’t wished they could fly? This wonderful middle-grade book takes that delightful universal wish, and runs with it - turning out a somewhat dark and dangerous fable about a twelve year old girl, a sailor and a shipwreck, an eagle,…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+ I finished this book and the-lump-in-the-throat test cannot be denied. This book is a first class heart breaker, albeit one with a strangely hopeful tone balancing out what at first glance seems affectingly tragic. A science or speculative fiction instant classic, “Kara and the Sun” is about…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fascinating portrayal of a 1980’s real-life attempt to bring down the Naples-based Camorra - one of the largest and deadliest mob organizations in Italy - spearheaded, planned and led by a twelve year old boy. Written in the style of a memoir, the author shares the experiences…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “He was everybody’s son, but he belonged to no one”. A complex and poignant portrait of what it means to be a mother, a father, or a son, and what it feels like to have this most central of identities suddenly ripped away. When we first meet…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “We are not alone, and they are dangerous.” What do you get when you take the best of “Top Gun”, and blend it with an updated and cooler-techno “Star Wars” ? This action packed sci-fi epic - which has elements of just such a magical mixture -…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 In this charming picture book (ages six to nine), enter the magical world of Evelyn, a sweet little girl who is fascinated with the night sky and the planets, stars and constellations. Every evening after dinner, in her backyard, often accompanied by her lovely father, Evelyn learns…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stunning. Insightful. Unexpected. I couldn’t put this small book of poetry down - so moved was I by the kaleidoscope of words, each piece of work so uniquely brilliant (though a small few, I must confess, I found maddeningly impenetrable). Experimental in nature, the “poems” captured here…
[responsivevoice_button buttontext=”Listen”] ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 A delightful collection of Indian fairy tales, that read like short stories, sprinkled with magic, karma and a whole heap of kindness. Each beautifully intermingled story tells the tale of one ‘angel’, one not quite ‘normal’ being who comes to realize they are blessed with a…