Snowflake Sugar by Janet Koops

Rating:

4 Stars

Themes:

Short Story, Romance

Thoughts:

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Another sweet installment to Mistletoe. I loved Nora being included again and it’s sweet that she helps out in Sadie’s shop when she’s needed. Jack and Rosie’s descriptive joy of winter nearly made me fall in love with winter too (despite the stressors it puts on my body) and it's interesting to see a valentines installment to the christmas town and it was cool to hear how they decorated the tree for valentines day, definitely looking forward to hear of more decorations for different holidays in the future. This was a descriptive story with a nosey journalist who needs dealing with and then love happens naturally along the way which I liked as it gave it a real life feel.

Favourite Quote:

“Winter is often perceived as the harshest of seasons, but I find it holds within it an unmatched beauty. And not merely in its visual splendor but in the experiences it offers. It's in the crisp air that rejuvenates the spirit, the joy of seeing one's breath materialize in little puffs of vapor, and the cozy warmth of retreating into a snug space after being out in the cold. Winter's beauty is in the stark contrasts-the bright whiteness of snow against the deep greens of evergreens, the silent, frozen lakes and rivers and the stark, bare branches of deciduous trees creating intricate silhouettes against the winter sky.”

Comments

The War of Sober by Edward Rand

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Addiction, Psychology Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a great book not just for addicts trying to establish and maintain their sobriety but also psychologists, counsellors and the people working with them. It approaches the experience of addiction from the perspective of going to war and may help those who can’t get along with the 12 steps, contingency management or other forms of therapy traditionally used. It’s also helpful to have Edward detail his own experiences and approaches throughout so it feels less clinical and shows he does know what he’s talking about when he mentions the difficulties so it comes across less patronising than some self-help addiction books. Favourite Quote: "It doesn't matter what happened yesterday. Win or lose, if we are still alive, we must decide to be different today and then make the correct choices today, because friends, ...

Broken Glass by Sarah Kay

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Poetry Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This collection is mixed for me, some of the poems were really good and all were definitely emotive but I think so many poems on the Hamas attack and subsequent war which is highly politically charged a little difficult to tackle. Favourite Quote: "What good is it to open my heart when in the end, you will stab it in the back?"

Shame-Sex Attraction by Lucas Wilson

Rating: 4 Stars Themes: Non-Fiction, LGBTQ+ Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is definitely a difficult read and it took me quite a while to get through it for that very reason. It is split up into 17 different peoples experiences with a foreword and afterword. It’s definitely an important read for many as these practices are still legal in many countries, including my own, and without knowledge of the damage of the practices many may not join in the protests or sign the petitions to try to get laws in place. As a member of the community myself I found some of these stories such as the ‘Sniffing the Gay Away’ and ‘Convert’ especially difficult to read and reminded me just how lucky I was to have such a supportive and loving community around me. I appreciated that the afterword highlighted the limitations of the collection such as having little to no religious, geographical or racial diversity but that they did try to ga...

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