Search

Search only in certain items:

40x40

Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Mar 25, 2022  
How did Julie Connor, Author's children's picture book THE BABY WITH THREE FAMILIES, TWO COUNTRIES, AND ONE PROMISE: AN INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION STORY come to be? Learn about the interesting story behind it in a fascinating guest post on my blog, and enter the #giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy of the book - 3 winners!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2022/03/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-baby-with.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
The Baby with Three Families, Two Countries, and One Promise is a children’s book designed to be read by parents to a child adopted from a foreign country. The story is first recounted from the perspective of the parents in the USA, who are very sad not to be able to have a child. The perspective then switches to that of the biological mother, who realizes that she does not have the wherewithal to raise a child. She makes the difficult decision to give up her baby. Next readers learn about a foreign adoption agency, to which the biological mother surrenders her child. The adoption agency identifies foster parents to take care of the baby temporarily. The foster parents give the baby a temporary name.

The parents in the USA begin researching international adoption possibilities and connect with the foreign adoption agency. The parents begin the adoption process and have to go to a school to learn how to be adoptive parents. When the foreign adoption agency matches the USA parents with the baby, the USA parents fly to the foreign country, where they meet the baby and the foster parents at the adoption agency. They find out that the temporary name given to the baby by his foster parents is one of the names they have selected for the baby. Their last requirement in the foreign country is to secure a visa for the baby from the U.S. Embassy.

With the baby’s visa in hand, the parents and baby return to the United States, where they are joyously greeted by their dog, their friends, and the baby’s new grandparents. When the parents tuck their baby in at night, they tell him his story—that he has three families, two countries, and a promise for the future to visit the country of his birth when he is older.
     
The Casual Vacancy
The Casual Vacancy
J.K. Rowling | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.6 (14 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book is another prime example of why I wish Goodreads would allow half stars...it wasn't a 4 but it wasn't a 3 either.
J.K. Rowlings's first forray into the adult book world is well written, don't get me wrong. She has a true gift in her ability to craft the written word and describes things in a way few other authors can. I just had a very hard time getting in to this book until the last 50 or so pages.
This book tells the tales of several families of all varities in the parrish of Pagford. It is a small town where it seems that evryone has their noses in each other's business and that they know who is who & what is what. The plot flows along following the lives of the various families & showing you how they are all connected, as much as 1 family or person may think they are better than the rest. Of course, the story twists & turns & eventually lets you in to the fact that no really knows what is going on in their neighbor's lives. It is all centered around the sudden death of parrish councillor Berry Fairbrother & the political wranglings around who will fill his seat.
On 1 jand it speaks to the impact that 1 man can have on the people around him. On the other it is a flat lesson on minding your own business. I hope Rowling will attempt more books targeted at an older audience but this one, for me, fell abit short of expectations.
  
I checked this book out so I could understand a show that was called "Army Wives" on lifetime. I knew the show was based on the book. So finally had checked it out to read it.

When I started reading the book. Tanya Banks starts by tell you about herself in terms of telling you a little of what going on around her and her breaking the news. She goes to a army post to get her reports and tell you about what going on. She also introduces four army wives and families.

Each family is tell their own story by the army wife. She goes from wife to many but she also tell tales as she is apart of the story as well. The story starts with her a bit and then you meet the families and she start each section of the book. You get the whole story of each family she talking about beging to end with her in it. She also close the book talking. I do recommend this book if you are Armywive fan as of the show on lifetime.

I was into this book. I felt each armywives heart and feelings. I felt I like was there in their house. You can certify feel the emotions to each armywives and family. It may be a bit confusing at first but you do understand as it goes from one family to the next. The show protrait the book a bit not completely but does goes with it.
  
Sweat Connection (Hot Under the Collar #1)
Sweat Connection (Hot Under the Collar #1)
Katherine McIntyre | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Quite possibly McIntyre's best work to date!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

I'm not rehashing the blurb, and I'm not telling you the story, I'ma just gonna jump straight in!

READ THIS FREAKING BOOK, PEOPLE!

It's so well written, from both Rhys and Cole's POV, in the first person, each chapter headers the change.

It's steamy and smexy (sooooooooooooooooooo smexy!) It's deeply emotional, for both Rhys and Cole and that surprised me, don't ask me why, cos I've no freaking idea! I just expected this to be a light and fluffy book. And it is, but with a heavy side of emotions.

It's sweet and cute, it's so freaking cute. Full of the warm and fuzzies that low/no angst books carry. Full of emotion and love.

Rhys is in a dark place when he comes into contact with Cole, and after that, it's just two guys falling in love! Throw in McIntyre's skill with found families, and extended families, and a 2 yr old called Sammy and you've got, for me, possibly McIntyre's best work yet!

AND this is the first in a new series and I cannot wait for the next one!

I'm making this a relatively short review, I might start ranting and raving, and if I allow myself free reign, you could end up with a 10,000 word review!

I'm putting this on my Masterpiece shelf! I abso-freaking-lutely loved this book and I can't see why anyone wouldn't.

5 full and shiny stars.

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
The Boss Baby (2017)
The Boss Baby (2017)
2017 | Animation, Comedy, Family
Alec Baldwin (1 more)
Good plot idea
Lacking in humour (0 more)
Pretty average
I hadn’t been expecting much from The Boss Baby, and I’m afraid it pretty much lived up to my expectations.

I love Alec Baldwin voicing the baby, and I think the actual plot idea is fairly imaginative and a good take on families having a new baby. The animation was good although I wouldn’t expect any less from Dreamworks. It’s just a shame the rest of the film is a bit of a let down. It’s been made mostly for kids, so I found little to keep me amused (anything vaguely funny had already been shown in the trailer) and the storyline itself was fairly predictable. It’s one of the many watchable but instantly forgettable animated films.
  
Cards Against Humanity
Cards Against Humanity
2009 | Adult, Card Game, Humor, Party Game, Print & Play
Funny (0 more)
Needs expansion packs after a while (0 more)
Great for Parties
I love this game. I play it with my family at Christmas and on holiday (because we are strange and inappropriate). It is always hilarious and often lasting jokes are created by the conversations we have whilst playing. (n.b. I would not recommend this as a "family game" for most families!)
The only drawback is that we play it a lot and thus some combinations of cards get played again and again which makes them less funny. Therefore we have to keep buying expansion packs to save from getting tired of it. However, that does make buying presents easier as Cards Against Humanity regularly bring out new decks and we can all buy them for eachother.