lisabreads's reviews
571 reviews

Thank you to Nourish for providing me with a review copy of Good Mood Food for review. Good Mood Food is available December 24, 2018.

Good Mood Food is a very comprehensive look at using diet to stabilize blood sugar levels, moods, cravings, hormone levels and more. I honestly found the amount of information in this book overwhelming and am not sure how much I could reasonably apply to my every day diet. It was all a bit much for me. If you are serious and want to dive deep into figuring out your cravings or knowing what is specifically causing one of your lifestyle symptoms, it might be better to go into this book with one goal in mind and try that chapter first.

The recipes provided sounded good but there were not enough to really showcase what they were trying to do with the book. It turned into more a list of vitamins we should have than any real guidance as to how to apply that to real life.

Thank you @booksforwardpr for a copy of The Ninja’s Blade by Tori Eldridge. The second in the Lily Wong thriller series is available today.

Content warnings for sexual abuse, kidnapping, drug use, grooming, violence and sex trafficking.

The Ninja’s Blade opens starts with main character Lily Wong seeing an unlikely pair of young adults talking, two girls who would never be friends. One leads the other to a car driven by a handsome older man and they leave together. This coupled by the fact that Lily was recently hired to find a runaway, leads her to the world of sex trafficking.
The Ninja’s Blade is the second in a series but I haven’t read the first and I managed to follow along. It did seem like the events of the first book had a significant effect on Lily in this book though, so I did feel like I missed out on some character development because of that. Lily is a badass woman though, working as an investigator for a women’s shelter and using her fighting skills to help while trying to impress her parents and maybe start dating.

I love the concept of this cookbook. It would be perfect for an afternoon book club meeting. My favourite part was the addition of quotes from the book as too often literary recipes have little to do with the actual novel except for a clever recipe title. I also enjoyed the mix of techniques throughout the book with some recipes for beginners with pre bought doughs, while others make dough or candy from scratch being more advanced, The unique tea mixes and pairings with the recipes is a very helpful touch as well. A wonderful book for those special occasions you may want to add a literary touch to.

My son is a little young to do some of the activities himself but he really enjoyed some of the projects! I made him a fidget spinner and we practiced some of the alphabet. It’s a really fun book and I can not wait to get the materials for the slime one. I appreciated all the parent prep tips as well as the information as to how it pertains to STEM and how we can expand each activity! Thanks to Quarto publishing group for allowing me early access to this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Quarto books for sharing the e-galley of Drinking Like Ladies with me in exchange for an honest review. Such a wonderful idea for a cocktail book! Each recipe is inspired by a famous woman in history. There is a short but very informative bio next to each recipe created by some of the world’s leading female bartenders. The recipes are complex and more like you would find in an upscale bar than at home but they are delicious. More aimed for special occasions and girl’s night at home than everyday, this is a fun book to flip through and taste test!

This might be one of my favourite books of the year! So well written, weaving the pressures of new motherhood with the quest to find a missing baby. The May Mothers go out for a night on the town for the first time since having their babies. Winnie comes home to find her son, Midas, missing from his crib. The investigation into his disappearance uncovers a lot of secrets and exposes the past of each of the mothers looking for a clue. I particularly enjoyed the touches of new motherhood and the pressures and challenges that entails. While these ladies are dealing with this tragedy, they are also stressing over whether they should use formula or if they should go back to work, is the baby going to be ok? It brought back the first year with my son and it made me more connected to them and the story. I also did not see most of the twists coming and I had to struggle to put it down at all, wanting to see what came next.

I loved Her Pretty Face. Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for the e-copy in exchange for an honest review! Frances and Kate both have children at Forrester Academy and become fast friends. Their sons are best friends as well, but one has a secret and it’s unravelled over the course of the book. A compelling domestic drama, this book keeps you on your toes. The characters are developed with skill and you never quite know the whole story. I loved how little threads are dropped the whole way through to keep your interest. Perfect summer reading, not too heavy but gripping all the same.

Wow. This is well written and so heartfelt. I could not imagine parenting through such an ordeal but there are people doing it every day and that just breaks your heart. The beginning really brought back some memories from when my son was in NICU for a week. Luckily my sweet boy has been healthy ever since but it still brought on a lot of what ifs and thoughts to those who were there longer. It is a book about finding your joy, parenting through illness and marriage struggles and it was an emotional rollercoaster. I definitely reached for the Kleenex a few times.

This book kept me guessing the whole time! 3 girls go missing one day while at summer camp and the only girl left in the cabin is Emma. Haunted by what happened to the girls who are never found, Emma returns as a camp teacher 15 years later when the camp reopens again. Such a confusing mix of past and present in a well woven tale, Emma tries to make sense of the tragedy and everyone’s part in it. A involving summer thriller, this book will keep you guessing and reading until the very last page!

If you are a fan of reality television than this book would be for you! Lots of behind the scenes drama of a show called “Gold Diggers” and the manipulation the so called reality shows really have. I was hoping for more of a thriller but it was mostly drama. There was a considerable amount of discussion on woman’s rhetoric and what we should be feeling and doing, It was a little much for me though it was an interesting touch in the beginning. I don’t watch these types of shows so I wonder if some of it was lost on me. Not my favourite book in the world but a decent summer light read.