Mama Bear Reviews

I have two boys that love to read just as much as I do so I can't believe that I have made it this long without reviewing any children's books. I recently fell in love with Usborne books. I saw a booth at an event and decided to have a party. My boys have loved all of the books we ordered from the party but the favorites have been the Lift-The-Flap, See Inside and the Shine-A-Light books. These are so much fun! I also love that you can go to their main webpage here  and search for a local consultant. I am not going to personally push a consultant but I recommend that you find one locally that you can support. You might even want to think about having your own party because they have some terrific benefits. There are a lot of great videos on YouTube to explore as well so you can really get a feel of how the books work and what is inside of them prior to ordering. Here is a fun video on the Shine-A-Light books. The big winner with my boys has been the See Inside Your ...

A few weeks ago I reviewed the third book in the Heartbreaker Bay Series by Jill Shalvis here . It wasn't until I started reading that book that I realized I had somehow missed the second in the series. I just finished The Trouble With Mistletoe. I am so excited that this is going to be made into a movie ! I knew that this was going to be a movie going in to reading it so that changed my perspective on it a bit. I found myself mentally reviewing how it would play out on screen. You know what? I think this will be an awesome Christmas movie next year! As I was reading through the story of Willa and Keane, I could see the whole thing playing out very well in a movie. Jill Shalvis does a great job of adding humor to her stories and she especially exceeds at this when there are animals in the book. The main character, Willa, is a pet shop owner so there is no shortage of furry antics. Another great story by Jill Shalvis .

I was inspired by the February Bookish Box to read A List Of Cages by Robin Roe. There is an option to receive a book with the box and this was the book that was chosen for the month of February. While I did not receive a book with my box, the title was included with everything else that I received. I have not cried this much over a book in a long time. It is so heartbreaking. I think this story fit very well with the theme of friendship. Julian lost his parents when he was 8 or 9 and was put into foster care with Adam and his mother for 8 months. After that he was taken to a long lost uncle by marriage who was very abusive. Adam and Julian reconnect after Adam is asked by the school psychologist to hang out with him and find out why he is missing class. They end up building a beautiful friendship. Julian who does not feel worthy of anything finds a place among Adam's group. I feel like there were still a lot of loose ends at the ending but it ends on a hopeful note. The story end...

I posted last week  that I had started the Grisha Trilogy. I just finished the last two books, Siege and Storm and Ruin and Rising both by Leigh Bardugo .  I have to admit that I was about ready to give up during the first half of Siege and Storm. The book just started to feel very similar to other books I had read such as the hunger games. I will say that Alina is a much stronger character than Katniss and the story did pick up speed halfway through and the last book was fantastic. I think the difficulty with the second book was that the characters really had to be put to the test as happens with every great struggle. Relationships had to be broken down and true intentions had to be evaluated. With Ruin and Rising, I really loved all of the strength that all of the characters showed. I also love all of the friendships that came about through all of the hardships. This story had a lovely ending as well and I cannot wait to jump into Six of Crows which is set in the same u...

I just finished The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi and loved it! I happened across this book because I was seeing reviews come in for the second book in this series which is A Crown of Wishes and which is set to release the end of next month. The reviews are so amazing for the second book already that I knew I had to read the first. The reviews are a bit mixed for this book. Here is the link to them on Goodreads . I really enjoyed this story, I thought it was beautiful and loved that Mayavati got to experience the wonderful stories she had created for her little sister. This is a love story that spans throughout lifetimes. There is a wonderful mix of Greek mythology and Indian folklore infused into the whole book and the author has a really beautiful writing style that creates wonderful imagery. Here is the link the author's site . I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. I really look forward to reading A Crown of Wishes next month!

I just finished reading Harvest: Unexpected projects using 47 extraordinary garden plants by Stefani Bittner & Alethea Harampolis. You can find out more information about the book and where it can be purchased here and find out more about the authors here . This book has only been out for a couple of weeks and I am seeing wonderful reviews for it everywhere. I am not surprised because it truly is an incredible book. The first thing that I noticed when going through this book was the amazing photography. Seriously, this book is packed with gorgeous images! Even the images on the front and back cover are enough to make you want to pick it up. I also love the way that it is broken down. The book goes through 47 garden plants and discusses information about planting and harvesting each of them. It is also separated between the different season in which the plants grow. The authors then go on to show a unique way that the plant can be used. For example, after the informatio...

I received my February Bookish Box today! The theme this month was galentines day so the box focused on literary friendships. Inside the box were best book friend pins from Jar of Buttons. A mug with a quote from the Raven cycle series from Drop & Give Me Nerdy. A really cute Fangirl nerd necklace from Appraising Pages.  Also, a bookmark with an Anne of Green Gables quote from Lexy Olivia . There has been a bookmark in every box I have received from this shop and they are all beautiful!  My favorite item in the box was the shirt with the quote from The Perks of Being a Wallflower from Appraising Pages. This was my favorite book in high school and I am psyched to have it on a shirt. I will wear it proudly with my nerdy necklace. I really loved all of the items this month. It all fit very well with the theme and included items from some of my favorite books. I have loved all of the boxes that I have received and have yet to be disappointed. The Marc...