Health Update

   I wanted to let you all know, I'm getting there.  My eye doctor says my eyes are slowly healing. I do read for extremely short times. I'm not supposed yo strain my eyes ay all.  I get bored though with nothing to do.

  Other health issues have wandered into the situation. Some not too bad, others really throw me for a loop. Like this one- I am a diagnosed insomniac. Sleep is not my companion.. lol. Not for years. I go days at a time and never sleep. What threw me happened this week. I  fell asleep and my last thought was please let me sleep longer than 30 minutes.  I did alright. I slept for 20 HOURS!! TWENTY HOURS!!  It scared me to death! I haven't slept that long in my life. I'm the one who wakes the alarm clock up. lol  When I figured out how long I slept, I asked a serious question. DID ANYONE CHECK ON ME? Since I don't sleep, I thought perhaps one to the two kids still in the state would think hey, it's been awhile since I've seen or heard from mom, maybe I should check on her.  NOPE! Never crossed their minds.  I said so if I die at home, I won't be found for probably a week or two. No, they said, we'd check on you before then. I'm not so sure. lol  I have a couple of other issues causing problems as well. We are working on them and I am praying my eyes will be back to normal before Christmas. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Melanie

(As dictated to her daughter)

  

The Littles and Reading

              Books make such a great gift. They also help the littles read more or have someone reading to them more. I stumbled on these two Little Golden Book Biographies and was amazed.  Did they really bring biographies to children?  They certainly did!

How wonderful! I was simply amazed at these books. They do have many other biographies as well. These books will be great for third thru sixth grades. They will help them learn about important people in our lives and in the world.

Look for more Little Golden Book biographies:

Queen Elizabeth II

Audrey Hepburn

Elton John

Julie Andrews

Oprah Winfrey

   Here is a short list of some of the books. I am thrilled to share this find! Of course my littles are grown but they still see some they'd like to read.  Here are a few others.      

Lin-Manuel Miranda

Marie Currie

The Wright Brothers

Taylor Swift

Stan Lee

The Story of Strong Black Men ( five stories inside)

Simone Biles

Jackie Robinson

Thomas Jefferson

Alexander Hamilton

  So as you can see, the list is huge. I love when I find books that teach the littles something. This find is just terrific. Consider them when looking for a gift for the little in your life. Their favorite celebrities' might have a Little Golden Book Biography in the list.

Check them out yourself! Then pick up several for your littles library!

       

Rekindling Her Heart Virginia Barlow

    Mara Miller didn't expect her life to take the direction it did. She had other plans. Ultimately, it wasn't up to her. Fate decided how her path would go.  Mara decided she could and would make the best of it. Raising her daughter alone had never been easy but Mara did it.  Everyone abandoned her the moment they heard the word baby. 

  Bruce Moretti's life was changing too. He was moving into an apartment down the hall from Mara. He needed the change. He was dealing with his own issues and not ready for a relationship. He did notice Mara though. Would these two get acquainted or just be ships passing in the hall?

   This is a great book. The writing is solid and the characters well defined. I found this to be an easy read. It does cover some intense subjects. Light hearted and fun, you'll be able to read this in one sitting. I enjoyed this book very much. You will as well, so get your copy now.

  I found no issues.

  I gave this one 5 cheers out of 5 because it delivers in every way.

Let Me Share Something

 

t

 Hello All!

I thought I'd try to explain something about the reviews. I receive on average 120 review request in a week. I try to keep the number I agree to review in a comfortable amount. I try not to over extend.  With the health issues I've run into the last 3 years, it has kept me on a very slow pace. 

  In order to help facilitate a better understanding of my schedule, I'm sharing something no one has ever known about my list.  Right now, I have over 1159 books on my Kobo waiting to be reviewed. There are 2140 books on my Kindle. I have 275 physical books here.  Then we go to the biggie. I have 11264 books on my computer to review. When I say I'm busy, I  mean it.

My Kindle is one of the original ones and very slow moving. My Kobo is also troublesome. I am unsure how much longer either  of them will last. The question is, how do I replace them?  I also am having trouble with Amazon allowing me to post reviews. Their policy of having to spend $50 a year to post reviews of any kind is ILLEGAL! You can not require payment for such reviews. They know this and so does my attorney.

How to leave a book rating or review on Amazon (even if you didn’t buy your book there).

   The answer is: You can leave a rating or review for a book that you didn't purchase on the site.  

Amazon ratings/reviews are important to authors  The Consumer Review Fairness Act was passed in response to reports that some businesses try to prevent people from giving honest reviews about products or services they received.

  

I will be back to it as soon as I can.

 New Health Update

On one hand the reviewer can't be compensated for their reviewws 

  I thought it was time to post an update.  I'm still healing, that's the best thing!  I still seem to have fun-house-like vision in my left eye.  It makes for some interesting days. lol.  Unfortunately, till have blood making may vision milky and hazy. It is diposting my reviews. Mr. Bezos also allowed my profile to be put bacfficult to read. I am still trying though. 

  I have noticed my visits here going from 900 to 7. I won't lie, it hurts and disappoints me but I haven't given up. I know I will be back to reading and reviewing before end of year. I miss it all. I understand my blog isn't as popular as thousands of others, but I keep reviewing. 

  I am still boycotting amazon. allowed my They have underhanded and unfair business practices. They expect anyone to spend $50 a year to post any review. If you receive a gift from amazon, you can't post a review about it. Unless, they get their $50.  If the Author, himself or herself, give you a copy of their book to review, unless they've gotten their $50. If you receive as a gift a book and want to review it, unless they've gotten their yearly $50 spent there.  They do however, have a rule about reviewers accepting payment for reviews.  If you do and someone reports you, they will not allow you to reviews for  any books. On one hand the reviewers can't accept compensation. On the other hand, amazon  can DU was shocked the first time anyone asked me to review for them/EMAND you spend $50. In essence , you are paying to post reviews. How is that a fair business act? In the past, Jeff Bezos  would "flip" whatever switch they need to and allow me to keep posting my reviews. Mr. Bezos also allowed my profile on amazon to be put back up.

  I know I sound like a crazed lunatic but I assure you, this is for real. I am 60 years old. I live on a budget so tight it squeaks. I don't have a penny extra at the end of the month. Getting free books to review is a dream come true for me. When I tell my Author friends I appreciate them, or I love my Author friends, It comes from the heart.   Authors are my favorite celebrities. 

I will be back at it as soon as I'm able. I do appreciate my members and those who stop by often.

MELANIE

 

HEALTH UPDATE:

   Hi All!!

    I thought i should let you know what's happening. The initial eye surgery went well. The Retina is doing well. The surgical area is doing well. Dr. Gordon is a bit concerned because I still have bleeding in my eye. She may have to go in and drain the blood. It will mean another procedure. I'm just  ready for it to be over and my sight to be restored.

   I am trying to read, however it isn't going well. I NEED my left eye back.  I am asking for those who pray to maybe include one for me and my children.  I'm not the easiest patient. I worry too much and I get angry that I can't get through my day as I have for 60 years.

Hanging in there!

Hugs to all,

 Melanie

 

The Cook of Castamar Fernando J. Múñez

     The Duke of Castamar has lost his wife to a horrible accident. It destroys his spirit. He neglects his duties and his family while he mourns. The King of Spain sends a messenger to tell the Duke, he must return to his duties. No more mourning time.

   Clara Belmonte's  father is killed during the war. Clara takes the news so hard she becomes agoraphobic. A monk secures employment for her at Castamar. Clara's mother taught her to cook and then when she died, Clara continued to cook and create recipes. What follows is a story you will fall in love with.

     I watched this movie because I couldn't find the book translated anywhere. It's beautiful and groundbreaking for the time period. I couldn't get enough of this movie. The movie is broken down into twelve one hour episodes. I knew I had to find the book translated. This is just as beautiful and wild as you can imagine. You must read the book and see the movie.

    I did find issues. If you watch the movie first and fall in love with it... don't read the book. You will be disappointed. The back stories in the book are significantly different. Relationships are different. Not just a bit different though, it changes the story. The book is more violent as well. I am so glad I found the movie first.

     I gave this one 3 cheers out of 5 because it changes the story too much.