Creative Wanderings

Review: The Secret Book of Flora Lea

By Patti Callahan Henry This book is definite 5-star read for me! It’s the second book I’ve read from Patti Callahan Henry, and – shocker – the first one was a 5 star read too. If you’re a fan of historical fiction, magical storytelling, and unraveling questions about the past, this is a book for you! Our main character is Hazel, who we meet in the 1960s as she prepares to leave her job at a rare books store. One of her final tasks is to log receipt of an original printing and illustrations of Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Immediately, she is transported back to her childhood during the London bombings and child evacuation. She and her younger sister Flora were sent to the countryside for safety, and Hazel would make up stories about a magical land called Whisperwood to help them escape their harsh reality. One fateful Read more…

By Erica, ago

Three Great Book Deals on Audible

There’s another 2 for 1 sale on right now at Audible, so if you have a spare credit and $1.99, here’s what I recommend. Post contains affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission – at no cost to you – when you purchase using these links. The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict Add this to your list from the 2 for 1 sale – it’s the incredible story of Hedy Lamarr! She escaped her marriage to a Nazi arms dealer and came to the United States, ultimately landing in Hollywood. Her legendary beauty made her a film star, but behind the beauty was a skilled scientific mind. She used her knowledge of Nazi plans and weapons to help the military improve their technology. And she pioneered the technology we now use everyday, like Wi-Fi and bluetooth. Dragons in the Water by Madeline L’Engle If Read more…

By Erica, ago

My Picks for Audible’s 2 for 1 Sale

This post includes affiliate links. I may make a small commission, at no cost to you, when you purchase from my links. One of my favorite things about the Audible Premium Plus membership is that they periodically to sales where you can get 2 books for the price of 1 credit! If you haven’t signed up for Audible yet, click here to activate a 30-day free trial. You can get your 2 for 1 books and cancel before the trial period ends – although you may not want to! Having access to the Premium Plus library and getting a credit each month is one of my favorite ways to add to my listening library. I searched their current sale to find my favorite books – here they are! The Rose Code by Kate Quinn 16 hours Kate Quinn is one of my favorite historical fiction authors, and this might be Read more…

By Erica, ago

My baby isn’t a baby, exactly…

… and I’m in denial! My littlest turns 2 this month, and I can hardly believe that time has passed so quickly. In some ways, it’s been a real treat to savor each milestone. Knowing this was my last baby, I relished all the progress and even challenges in a way that I hadn’t fully done with my previous two kids. It’s pretty easy to appreciate even the hard moments when you know it won’t always be like this. I think something more fundamental has finally sunk in for me. Instead of parenting to get my kids to behave a certain way, I’m practicing how to love them for who they are, exactly where they are. One small thing that has helped me grow that perspective is this sweetly illustrated story, If I Could Keep You Little. Written in charming rhyme, this book highlights the balancing act of parenting: relishing Read more…

By Erica, ago

My Five Bests

Best baby advice: sing to them! I just got my fussy baby to sleep with a few simple lullabies, and it has always been a way for me and my children to connect and even break a negative behavior cycle. Music does amazing things! Best family ritual: talking a stroll around the neighborhood after dinner. This totally came about as a coping mechanism for the witching hour with my toddler, then quickly became a cherished activity as we got to see all the Christmas lights! We will even skip doing dishes to make sure we get that family walk in each night. And even though we are moving away from tropical Florida, I’m hoping to continue the tradition in many homes to come. Best cleaning advice: hire it out! Haha, advice I should have followed this week as we are up to our eyeballs in packing and moving prep. So Read more…

By Erica, ago

Father’s Day – books I remember dad reading

Father’s Day is just around the corner, and this year I’ve been reflecting back on the books of my childhood. Reading together was a staple for us at bedtime: we all gathered near a couch or a bed and tussled over who got to sit where. Then my dad would put on his best reading voice, full of inflection and animation, and whisked us away to the worlds between the pages. Mom and Dad both read to us – we’re talking about hundreds, thousands of nights here as we kids grew up! – but these are the books I think of most when I think of Dad reading aloud. My First Book of Nursery Tales retold by Marianna Mayer, illustrated by William Joyce I vividly remember this book and the classic stories inside, like the Three Billy Goats Gruff, Goldilocks, and the Gingerbread Man. I can hear my dad voicing Read more…

By Erica, ago

Freebie! For big kids only

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about my toddler lately, it’s that she loves to be independent. And while that is awesome, sometimes it means we don’t agree about how her day should be going. I get it! It’s way more fun to wear pajamas all day than to actually put on real clothes. However, we all have to get dressed at some point. To help avoid arguments and give her the independence she wants, I designed a Big Kid Chart that she can use each morning to keep track of what she has done. Now she can see what is on her to-do list and mark it off as she goes! We will start with stickers and just print some copies to re-hang, but you could easily laminate this and use a dry-erase marker. Get your free download here!

By Erica, ago

A five star read ?

Jennifer Robson The Gown Wow, I don’t often rate books as five-star reads, but this is one of the rare few that has broken into that top echelon for me! First off, this is a piece of historical fiction. But it is so well-researched and presented, with characters so human and relatable, that you’re going to think it’s all true! Sadly, you can’t google Miriam Dassin and see her art embroideries, because she isn’t real. I know, I wish she were, too. Robson vividly paints the factual history underpinning this story, from post-war life in Britain to the scars of being a Jew from occupied France; from the glittering fashions of Norman Hartnell to the humble gardens to the clanging Underground. She uses three narrative perspectives to craft the plot into an encompassing, intertwined tale. Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin work as embroiderers for Norman Hartnell in 1947 London; Heather, Read more…

By Erica, ago

5 Bedtime stories our toddler loves (and that we like to read, too!)

One of my favorite things about being a mom is reading stories together. Snuggled up together, rocking in the rocking chair, a soft fuzzy head near my chin and chubby, tiny fingers grabbing at pages and pointing at pictures. Warm Fuzzies! Of course, after three years of nightly bedtime stories – plus nap times and random times just for fun – we’ve gone through quite a lot of books. It can be a challenge finding books that kids like to listen to and that parents can read without going crazy. Here are five books currently running on repeat at our house.

(more…)

By Erica, ago

Book review- My Dear Hamilton

If you love historical fiction and American history, My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie should find a spot on your to-read list. Using first-person narration, it imagines what Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton must have felt and experienced in her lifetime. She came of age during the birth of a nation, married one of the most prolific and ingenious Founding Fathers, then survived him a following half-century. Leaving behind few historical records of her own, Dray and Kamoie weave a tale imagining what it must have been like for Eliza. When I first added this book to my library list, I had no idea that it was written by the same authors who wrote one of my favorite books, America’s First Daughter. In fact, I probably never would have made the connection if my Kindle didn’t show the description and reviews when you first open a book. While the Read more…

By Erica, ago