In the third and final installment of The Dirt Diary series, we meet Ava—Rachel Lee’s alter ego of sorts. When Rachel’s Florida visit starts going sour, she turns to Ava to spice things us a little. For the trip which was supposed to be an occasion for her to catch up with her beloved Dad,… Read More Book Review and Guest Post: ‘The Gossip File’ by Anna Staniszewski
Straight off the heels of her week in Paris, Model Undercover: Stolen With Style follows sixteen year-old Axelle to the Big Apple where she has been asked to find a big black diamond that was stolen from a photo shoot. Although she has the connections—her aunt Venetia is the editor of a well-known fashion magazine… Read More Book Review: ‘Model Undercover: Stolen With Style’ by Carina Axelsson
The scope of the community building process is so large that there is a space for everyone to contribute their talents, whatever this talent might be. One can imagine my relief to know that my love for writing can be used for this same purpose. The question of course then becomes how. There is always… Read More Writing about the Normal Rather than the Abnormal: Youth Can Move the World
Stella Newman’s Pear Shaped is the story of the journey of a young woman in her early thirties whose self-confidence is shattered by the immature views on life and a woman’s physique of her much older boyfriend. Sophie Klein is out with a friend for a typical Friday girl’s night. They step into a bar… Read More Book Review: ‘Pear Shaped,’ by Stella Newman
The most magical aspect of fiction is its ability to create a safe environment in which we can closely examine important issues, however sensitive they might be. It was with the hope of finding between its covers a story that could create such an environment for a conversation on social media’s role in our relationships… Read More Book Review: ‘Populatti’ by Jackie Nastri Bardenwerper
The quest to become a better writer is one that inspires many a conversation with authors one admires. A reviewer has the opportunity to meet many authors with whom one can have inspiring conversations. These conversations are increasingly feeding into the posts on this blog, so I thought it would be timely to start a… Read More Author Spotlight: Carina Axelsson
They used to be two peas in a pod. Being inseparable from Brianna made a lot of things easier, including navigating middle school with lethal food allergies. Her friend is the reason why Nina was able to avoid sitting at the table reserved for others like her – other students with food allergies, who presence… Read More Book Review: ‘My Year of Epic Rock’ by Andrea Pyros
I have to confess from the beginning that I am particularly demanding when it comes to books written for preteens. After all, they are particularly vulnerable to the influences of their environment, be they positive or negative. The Prank List by Anna Staniszewski made for an interesting read. The main character, Rachel Lee, is set… Read More Book Review: ‘The Prank List’ by Anna Staniszewski
The allure, glamour, and charm exuded by Audrey Hepburn are sources of inspiration for many women. In Being Audrey Hepburn, nineteen year old Lisbeth’s obsession with the beautiful star and her movies brings her to a place she never thought she would ever step foot in. Lisbeth’s life is not an easy one. Her father… Read More Book Review: ‘Being Audrey’ by Mitchell Kriegman
Putting together your life after it has been torn apart by the death of your husband is not easy, especially when you have two young children, and it was discovered that your husband had been cheating on you before his death. But Nicki Valentine is not going to let that get to her. Quite the… Read More Book Review: Finding Sky, by Susan O’Brien