Here is why you should read

  When my son was little, I was obviously new to parenting. But parenting alone, without the help of family is a whole different game. So when I woke up every morning, despite my mental or emotional state, I woke up with the intention that when my little boy woke up, he would see me smiling down at him, picking him up, I would rock him for a while and with a story or two, drag him to get ready for school. I follow a similar attitude with my closest friends or people I am closely acquainted with. I ensure, when I meet them, I am complimenting them or giving them my best smile. There can be no truer words than - "How we begin our day shapes everything that follows." This book, from the Foreword has some beautiful words that the author has shared with us. I am nodding at every line that I read and reminding myself that I knew this all along and just didn't believe in it. It is so important to believe one's instinct. While this information can be given to another, they ha...

  How can everything, you possibly think of, be going wrong?  A very young Tegan is almost 8 months pregnant. One bad decision and one bad moment has brought her to this situation. Wanting to get a break, Tegan plans to go visit her brother Dennis, a ski instructor. She was tired of having discussions with her unborn baby's father and his associate, Jackson about child support and all those things. They want to give her some money but suddenly Tegan remembers something and refuses to back down on the maintenance amount she was initially fighting to get. On the way to meet Dennis, Tegan meets with an accident and is stranded in the middle of nowhere. With a storm brewing and alert warnings to steer clear off the road, Tegan realizes she has hurt her ankle and is unable to get herself out of the car. With depleting energy, she is forced to take the help of Hank, a neighbour from the vicinity. Hank assures Tegan that she was safe with him and he was taking her home to rest and re...

  Absolutely cute book about self esteem. This book gives easy definitions of big words for an age that does not know how to identify such big feelings. They say, children grow in their sleep. How wonderful it would be to make them sleep with thoughts of how important they are. Of course, this book needs to be read with an adult as it will lead to many questions and you will want to answer with care.  Beautiful illustrations and important feelings that children will relate to with ease. This book is a good library book that children can borrow and read every night before they go to sleep. 

  The first thing that struck me about this children's book is the cover. A difficult and complicated topic like alcoholism and how children are often the ones who take the brunt of it. Then of course, came the dedication. I cannot imagine what it would have been for the author to have lived with a parent who struggled with alcohol usage, leading to depression. Amanda Davis comes across to me as a kind, loving and understanding person; and that is what is needed the most in this world where people are beginning to live in silos or with a don't care attitude. This is a cute book for really young children who witness alc*h*lism on a regular basis. What I like about such books is that it normalizes that "storms" enter people's homes and going to a counsellor or talking to a trusting adult would be a good idea. In some countries, we are worried about what will people say or think or whatever. But, do we realize, we have bigger problems to solve than sit and worry what...

  Being in the teaching industry tempted me to choose this book as my next read. The nuances of being a head teacher/head mistress are familiar territory to me and I enjoyed feeling heard and seen through some bits of the storyline. St Ann's is a strict, almost conservative school and being employed there is surely considered privilege. So you work with the same responsibility and polished vein that one is expected to have. Liz is the Head Teacher and as the story begins, her hands are full with the various tasks she must carry out not only first day of school but through out the academic year.  But, the academic year is was turning out to be everything that Liz does not want/did not imagine it to be. A scandalous photograph of hers from two decades ago suddenly surfaces on the big screen at the school assembly. Somehow she turns the episode into a moral lesson class and setting an example of how actions of some long gone sordid past could surface and bite you in the butt; how...