Our Town Book Reviews

Sunday, November 29, 2020

What is a Dream

Let's Go Dreaming, Book 2

Children's Book

Published: June 2020

Publisher: Infinity Plus Publishing

Have you ever wondered “just what exactly is a dream?” What do dreams sound like? What do dreams feel like? How are dreams created? Well, this adorable bedtime story explains it all!

Join Little Ari and her talking dog, Pepper, as she reveals a magical formula for creating a dream and explains what dreams are, through the use of the 5 senses. This whimsical bedtime story will certainly ensure that your little one has the sweetest of dreams.

"What Is A Dream?" is a bedtime story for toddlers and young children ages 4-8. Your child will be sleeping peacefully after reading this, while venturing into the world of dreams. "What is a Dream?" is the second book in the Let's Go Dreaming series, written by author Shanita Allen.

Other Books in the Let's Go Dreaming Series:

Sleep, Tiny Dreamer

Let's Go Dreaming, Book 1

Published: September 2019

Publisher: Infinity Plus Publishing

“Sleep, Tiny Dreamer. Where will you go tonight? Will you swim across the ocean? Or will you take a flight?”

This bedtime story poses the question "where will your little one go in their dreams?" and encourages them to think of all the endless possibilities.

Sleep, Tiny Dreamer is Shanita Allen's first book in the Let's Go Dreaming series. This is a sweet bedtime story full of hope and innocence…inspiring young minds to dream big!

Amazon

Excerpt

One starry night,

When the sky was super bright,

Little Ari climbed into bed

And turned out the light.

“I wonder what I’ll dream tonight.

What places will I go?

I guess until I close my eyes

I’ll never really know.”

“What is a dream?” asked a voice

That came from down below.

Ari looked at the floor,

In shock. “Say it isn’t so!”

“Pepper, was that you?

Did you just speak, for heaven’s sake?

Nah, you’re a dog!

I’m not dreaming yet. I’m still awake!”

Pepper looked at Ari

And tilted her head to the right.

“Yep, I can talk!” said Pepper,

Giving Ari quite a fright.

First, Ari started screaming

And headed for the door.

Then she remembered, “Pepper’s my friend,”

And wasn’t afraid anymore.

About the Author

Shanita Allen is the author of the Let's Go Dreaming children's book series, which inspires young minds to dream big and allows readers to see the world through the eyes of Little Ari and her talking dog, Pepper. The Let's Go Dreaming series is a collection of 9 books that teach lessons about acceptance, diversity, friendship, special needs, and bullying.

Shanita is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) with a Master of Science degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from the Florida Institute of Technology and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Florida State University. She has 17 years of experience serving individuals with Developmental Disabilities.

Shanita is a native Floridian and loves to travel. She has visited several countries around the world including China, Spain, and Denmark. One of her books, Let's Go Dreaming: Journey to Paris, was inspired by her trip to France.

Get social with Shanita, Ari, and Pepper at www.letsgodreaming.com

Facebook: Lets Go Dreaming

Instagram: @LetsGoDreaming11

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Saturday, November 28, 2020

Lily Fairchild

Historical Fiction

Lily Fairchild follows the life of a pioneer woman on the Canadian frontier over 77 years of her long life. She is witness to and a pawn of the great historical events of that period: the Underground Railroad, the clearing of the forest, the coming of the railroads, the discovery of oil, the two Riel Rebellions in the West and the flu pandemic of 1918. A story of love and survival.

KIRKUS REVIEW

Long-haul, multigenerational historical fiction such as this is often a victim of skewed perspective, as authors, deeply ensconced in often years of research, often overestimate how much detail their readers will want to endure. Gutteridge’s narrative is prodigiously researched (and includes a bibliography), but he never overloads his audience; instead, he seamlessly works the historical grounding into what is, first and foremost, an intensely personal story. The book’s large and varied cast is uniformly well drawn, but Lily towers over the rest; from her earliest scenes, she’s by far the most compelling figure in the narrative. Gutteridge believably and effectively captures her youthful exuberance, as well as her resilience, even in the face of a heartbreaking tragedy in the book’s final pages. He combines his character study with beautifully evocative prose; at one point, for instance, after sunset, “Lily was sure she could hear the River tuning up for its nightsong”; at another, a character’s skin is described as having “the pallor and touch of gray-white mushrooms too long in the rain.” Overall, the author does an excellent job of giving his narrative the feel of a life as it is lived. Readers of such books as Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove (1985) or Anna Waldo’s Sacajawea (1978) will see a similar kind of storytelling here; it’s a difficult feat to manage, but Gutteridge does so. A long but intensely involving tale of a tempestuous life.

About the Author

Don Gutteridge is the author of 71 books, including 22 novels and 39 books of poetry. He is a graduate of Western University, where he is currently Professor Emeritus. He lives in London, Ontario.

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Friday, November 27, 2020

The Two Fathers

The Two Fathers

Sam Dyke Investigations Book 11

by Keith Dixon

Genre: Mystery

Why does Jessica Hastings come home late several times a week?

Her husband asks Private Investigator Sam Dyke this simple question. Dyke doesn't want the case: he doesn't do divorce work ... but Brian Hastings doesn't want a divorce, he wants an explanation.

When Sam finds out what Jessica is doing, it opens up more questions. And when Brian Hastings goes missing, they're questions he feels compelled to answer.

At the centre of the mystery is a man who most people in Manchester don't know--Larry Stone. But those who do know him, know that far from being the simple florist he seems to be, he's actually the biggest crook in town. He's powerful, he's dangerous, and he's currently working a deal with a Dutchman who's even worse.

And Sam is now caught in Stone's sights as he works to find Brian Hastings, to solve a couple of murders, and to prevent Stone corrupting even more members of his own family than he already has.

Before the biggest deal of Stone's crooked career goes down.

Goodreads * Amazon

Keith Dixon was born in Yorkshire and grew up in the Midlands. He's been writing since he was thirteen years old in a number of different genres: thriller, espionage, science fiction, literary. Two-time winner of the Chanticleer Reviews CLUE First in Category award for Private Eye/Noir novel, he's the author of eleven full-length books and one short-story in the Sam Dyke Investigations series and two other non-crime works, as well as two collections of blog posts on the craft of writing.

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