Book Review: Wake By Anna Hope

WAKE: A Novel

By:  Anna Hope

Published:  February 11, 2014

Fiction

I love finding new authors, and Anna Hope's debut novel is one that will keep her readers wanting more.  This novel came to me highly recommended by the publisher and now I am highly recommending it to you. WAKE takes you through just five days in 1920.  World War I is over and we are introduced to three women living in London, who are all dealing with the trauma the war has left behind.  

In the novel, each section is focused on one day ending on the fifth day, which is Armistice Day  and the ceremonial burial of the unknown solider.  We begin by reading about this unknown soldier being dug up from his grave in the middle of France and follow his trip back to London each day.  During these five days, we also follow along with the lives of three separate women whose connection isn't immediately clear until later in the novel. 

Evelyn, whose boyfriend was killed in the war, works in the benefits office for wounded soldiers.  Her brother whom she has long admired has become an alcoholic after his time in the war.  The stories and struggles she hears daily from soldiers as well as the pain of no longer being close with her brother has left her bitter and angry. 

Hettie, lives with her mother and brother who is no longer able to communicate or work after his time serving in the war.  Hettie works as a dance instructor and must turn over half her wages to her family which makes her angry and jealous of her fellow dancers clothing and freedom.  One night Hettie meets a man and becomes quite smitten, but his secrets and his past could change everything.

Ada's son Michael was killed in the war.  Ada and her husband, Jack, live separate lives in the same house due to Ada's overcoming grief. Jack has moved on and Ada still insists that she sees Michael everywhere she goes.  One day a salesman stops by and utters Michael's name and Ada is even more consumed with finding the truth about his death.  Her overwhelming desire to find him could be the last straw for Jack and their marriage.

Since the novel tells the story of the women and the unknown soldier during each day, the story can at times be a little choppy.  We are told each of their stories in pieces both from the past and the present. We learn the horrors of the war and how each of them and their loved ones were affected by the devastation.  It is a heavy novel with much sadness and pain.  All of the women are hurting, bitter, and mostly miserable.  But, you become quickly wrapped up in their lives and each time you are given a glimmer of hope, you push through another day in the story.  What binds them together is the war, but their other connections will surprise you. 

One of my favorite lines from the story that really shares the feeling of many during this time and honestly, as well as many of us in the present:

• " War wins." He says. "And it keeps on winning, over and over again.". "War wins," he says bitterly, "and anyone who thinks any differently is a fool."  

The years after the war were a sad and desperate time for many and even though not everything in this story is neatly tied up, it definitely ends with a faith that there will be better times ahead for each of these women. 

Anna Hope is an English writer and actress from Manchester. She is perhaps best known for her Doctor Who role of Novice Hame. She was educated at Wadham College, Oxford, The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London, and Birkbeck College, London. Follow her on Twitter, HERE.

This book was sent to me thanks to Random House for the purpose of this review.  I was not compensated in any other way.  This review is my honest opinion. If you chose to purchase the book through the above link, I may receive a small compensation without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.  Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com reviews. 

A Little Monday Inspiration - LOVE

Since February is the month of LOVE, I wanted to share my favorite quotes on LOVE from the Bible every Monday.

May you feel God's LOVE today!

Romans 12:9-10
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 

Children's Book Review: When I Grow Up I Want To Be....Teacher....U.S. Army

WHEN I GROW UP I WANT TO BE...
a Teacher
Carlee Learns a Surprising Lesson

Published By: Wigu Publishing

Published: December 3, 2013

This is one of the first in a series of books showing that kids can grow up to be whatever they want to be.

Carlee isn't too excited about her first day of school because her mom is the teacher for the other 1st grade section.  Carlee is afraid the kids aren't going to like her because her mom is a teacher. In the story we journey through Carlee's first day and experience her nervousness and excitement as she travels through her classes.  One thing Carlee knows for sure, is that she doesn't want to be a teacher like her mom. She was sure all the kids were laughing at her mom and her and she was so embarrassed.  As Carlee imagines being anything BUT a teacher, we are introduced to real life people in those professions like Christopher Columbus, Neil Armstrong, and Marie Curie.  By the end of the day, Carlee is surprised to learn that the kids love her mom as their teacher.  Carlee realizes having a mom for a teacher isn't so bad and maybe being a teacher is just what she wants to be.

I love how there is a story mixed in with the non-fiction parts of the book.  It is kind of a fiction/non-fiction book. We learn factual information about real people as Carlee travels through her day. Carlee's story is realistic enough for kids to identify with her fears, hesitations and excitement on her first day.  As someone who works in our children's school, I know the embarrassment and excitement that our children feel when I am in the building.

Our 9-year old read this book and enjoyed it.  She liked reading the quotes and information about real people.  She liked Carlee's character and all the jobs she considered being.  Our daughter also wants to be a teacher (as of today) and this book reinforced that for her.

WHEN I GROW UP I WANT TO BE...
in the U.S. Army
Jake Learns about the U.S. Army

Published By: Wigu Publishing

Published: August 29, 2013

Jake is assigned a project by his teacher to present to the class what he wants to be when he grows up.  He goes through a list of careers, but after talking to his father and learning that both his dad and his grandfather were in the army, Jake decides to do his presentation on a soldier.  Jake's dad takes him to the Army Surplus store to get the items he needs for his presentation.  As Jake goes through the store, we learn the factual information related to our goverment, the uniforms, and the badges and pins. As the daughter of an Army Veteran, I found this information interesting.

Photos of real life soldiers and veterans are shown as we read through the book to give a great perspective on the current job of soldiers as well as the historical piece.  When Jake gives his speech, he not only talks about the job soldiers do, but all the sacrifices they make to protect our country.  The book ends with a glossary explaining the many terms used in the Army.

I really loved both of these books.  I think this is an great series for elementary-aged children to help them explore the opportunities that will be available to them as they grow up.  These books can plant the seeds in their minds and help the child realize they can be whatever they want to be.
I highly recommend these books for classroom as well as personal use.

Other books in the WHEN I GROW UP series coming soon from Wigu Publishing include Firefighter, Race Car Driver, Nurse, Veterinarian, Police Officer, U.S. Air Force, World Traveler, and a Good Person.

Wigu Publishing is a collaboration of talented and creative individuals working together to create informative and fun books for our children. Our titles serve to introduce children to the people in their communities who serve others through their vocations. Wigu’s books are unique in that they help our children to visualize the abundant opportunities that exist for them to be successful and to make a difference. Our goal is to inspire the great leaders and thinkers of tomorrow.  For more on Wigu Publishing and their books, click HERE.  Like them on Facebook, HERE. Follow them on Twitter, HERE.  Follow their Pinterest boards, HERE. 

I will be linking up with other Children's Book Reviews at Booking Mama's Kid Konnection.  To see other great reviews of Children's Books, click HERE. 

Thanks to Wigu Publishing, I was provided copies of the above books in exchange for my review. This review is my honest opinion.  I was not compensated in any other way for this review.  If you choose to purchase the books through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.  Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com's book reviews. 

Cents of Style = Great Products and Service

Have you heard of the website, CENTS OF STYLE? It is a discount shopping website that specializes in accessories, shoes and boots.  I have been really pleased with their products and best of all, their prices.

Every Friday they offer one item in their FASHION FRIDAY section at a greatly reduced price. Last week, the above Chevron Scarves were reduced to $6.95 from $26.00 including FREE SHIPPING.

For Christmas gifts I ordered one of these cute State Necklaces for a gift as well as a knitted Ear Wrap.  Both of the gift recipients loved them.

I recently had a customer service issue and emailed them. I had a response AND a correction within MINUTES! That is unheard of and especially with discount retailers.  Unfortunately, sometimes when you get a great deal on prices you get a poor deal on customer service, but that WAS NOT the case with CENTS OF STYLE.  I was very impressed with their service as well as their products.

You need to sign up for their emails to get the discount code for each FASHION FRIDAY deal, but they only come into your inbox on Fridays so it isn't too overwhelming.  I highly recommend you check it out if you like accessories and great deals!

Check them out at http://www.mycentsofstyle.com/.

How to Create a Compelling Photo Book with Shutterfly

I've been a huge fan of Shutterfly for many years.  I've gotten most of our Christmas cards from Shutterfly.  I order all my print photos from Shutterfly.  I've gotten several gifts from Shutterfly over the years including mugs, office/desk items, and other prints.  My favorite thing to create on Shutterfly is a photo book.  My sister-in-law makes one on Shutterfly every season.  I wish I was that organized.  I have made them for our vacations each summer and for a family wedding.

I have to admit, it was hard for me at first to get used to making a photo book rather than putting photos into an album, but once I made my first one I was hooked.  Over the years, Shutterfly has come up with so many neat styles, artwork, themes and ways to really make the photo book your own style.  Plus they are always saved on Shutterfly in case you ever wanted to give one as a gift. A Shutterfly photo book would make a great gift for a new mom, a child's birthday, a grandparent or even a high school graduate.  I've seem them used as guest books at weddings, graduations, and birthday parties.  Such a great idea!

If you have ever thought about making a photo book, but wasn't sure where to start, my best tip is just to jump in. Upload a group of photos from a special event or year and start adding them to your photo book project. Without pressure of having to print it or finish it by a certain date, you are much more likely to take your time learning all the ways you can add your own personal style to a photo book.  Just remember to always SAVE your work by naming your project right away.

I have a great guest post for you today from Heather Hewitt from Shutterfly with her best tips for creating a photo book. To create your own photo book with Shutterfly, go to www.Shutterfly.com.

Three Tips to Help You Create a Compelling Photo Book - Heather Hewitt

You go to a friend’s house and notice a colorful book of photos on the coffee table. When you pick it up to look inside, you’re immediately impressed with the way it captures your friend’s Hawaii vacation with simplicity and beauty. Yet, because of the captions and fun layout, it’s more interesting to look through than a regular photo album. “I can do this,” you think. And you can! There are a lot of online sites that offer predesigned photo books that you can customize with ease for vacations, events, year-in-reviews, and much more.

Here are three tips for making your photo book stunning and compelling.

·         Choose good photos. If you’re designing a photo book, obviously the most important component will be the photos you select. With today’s use of the digital camera, or phones for that matter, we tend to take a lot more photos than in the past. But that means more to sort through, so how to choose from the hundreds – maybe thousands – you’ve taken? Simply put, you want to select photos that tell a story. Perhaps there’s more to them visually than others. Maybe the lighting is better. Maybe they evoke emotion. Try to choose interesting pictures, especially for the photos that will take up an entire page or stand alone.

·         Select a varied layout. The layout of a photo book can change the tone of the book as a whole. It’s important to alternate the number – and type – of photos used on each page. For example, don’t make every page a standalone photo with a caption. On the other hand, a photo book full of collage pages will make it hard to focus and might make the viewer’s eyes tired. As tempting as it is to cram as many photos as possible into as small a space as you can, it’s a much better choice to make the layout interesting. Together, the photos will tell a story they can’t tell alone.

·         Write detailed captions. Have you ever thumbed through someone’s photo albums and wondered who people were and what event they were at and what was so darned funny? Just think how much more interesting those photos would be if you had captions. Not only that, but as the years go by, details tend to leave our brains. So when writing your photo book, make sure to write captions with as much detail as you’d like to remember – and that you’d like your kids and grandkids to know later. Remember, you’re leaving a legacy with these books! Just like you might have learned in yearbook class, details could include names, dates, locations, etc.

When you adapt these three tips, you’re well on your way to create a compelling photo book. Take time to decide how you want to tell the story of your vacation, year, or significant event – then take joy in creating and sharing it with family and friends!

Author Bio: Heather Hewitt is a seasoned writer and guest author who enjoys connecting people with thoughtful products, services and ideas as they relate to crafting, photography, gift giving and personal expression.

Review Books That Came My Way in January

The following are the books that arrived in my mailbox or on my Kindle in January from authors and publishers.  Some of them are scheduled reviews and others are ones I hope to get too soon. So many of these books are right up my alley....rich in history, drama, and characters that will stick with you for a long time! There is some great reading ahead for me!

FALLEN BEAUTY by Erika Robuck

Upstate New York, 1928. Laura Kelley and the man she loves sneak away from their judgmental town to attend a performance of the scandalous Ziegfeld Follies. But the dark consequences of their night of daring and delight reach far into the future.…

That same evening, Bohemian poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and her indulgent husband hold a wild party in their remote mountain estate, hoping to inspire her muse. Millay declares her wish for a new lover who will take her to unparalleled heights of passion and poetry, but for the first time, the man who responds will not bend completely to her will.…

Two years later, Laura, an unwed seamstress struggling to support her daughter, and Millay, a woman fighting the passage of time, work together secretly to create costumes for Millay’s next grand tour. As their complex, often uneasy friendship develops amid growing local condemnation, each woman is forced to confront what it means to be a fallen woman…and to decide for herself what price she is willing to pay to live a full life.

THE FEVER TREE by Jennifer McVeigh 

I will be offering a giveaway of this book!

Frances Irvine, left destitute in the wake of her father’s sudden death, has been forced to abandon her life of wealth and privilege in London and emigrate to the Southern Cape of Africa. 1880 South Africa is a country torn apart by greed. In this remote and inhospitable land she becomes entangled with two very different men—one driven by ambition, the other by his ideals. Only when the rumor of an epidemic takes her into the dark heart of the diamond mines does Frances see her road to happiness.
 
But before she can follow that path, Frances must choose between passion and integrity, between her desire for the man who captured her heart and her duty to the man who saved her from near ruin, a decision that will have devastating consequences.

THE FALL OF MARIGOLDS by Susan Meissner

A beautiful scarf, passed down through the generations, connects two women who learn that the weight of the world is made bearable by the love we give away....

September 1911. On Ellis Island in New York Harbor, nurse Clara Wood cannot face returning to Manhattan, where the man she loved fell to his death in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Then, while caring for a fevered immigrant whose own loss mirrors hers, she becomes intrigued by a name embroidered onto the scarf he carries…and finds herself caught in a dilemma that compels her to confront the truth about the assumptions she’s made. Will what she learns devastate her or free her? 

September 2011. On Manhattan’s Upper West Side, widow Taryn Michaels has convinced herself that she is living fully, working in a charming specialty fabric store and raising her daughter alone. Then a long-lost photograph appears in a national magazine, and she is forced to relive the terrible day her husband died in the collapse of the World Trade Towers…the same day a stranger reached out and saved her. Will a chance reconnection and a century-old scarf open Taryn’s eyes to the larger forces at work in her life?

THE HOUSE OF MEMORIES by Monica McInerney

Months after a tragic accident, Ella O’Hanlon flees to London in an attempt to escape her grief, leaving behind the two people she blames for her loss: Aidan, the love of her life, and Jess, her spoiled half-sister. Taken in by her beloved uncle Lucas, Ella discovers that his extraordinary house holds many wonderful memories for her…and his group of transitory boarders provides a refreshing and welcome emotional tonic. But as Ella settles into a comfortable new role as unofficial cook and housemother, Jess secretly comes to London to pursue her own dreams, precipitating an unexpected family reunion and an exploration of the heart—one famished for love, for healing, and for forgiveness.

RECESS IS MY BEST SUBJECT by Peggy Mastel

What if, in order to survive, you were thrown into a teaching job with young children and no training? "Recess Is My Best Subject" tells the true story of a professional woman who, after a family tragedy, plunges into the world of substitute teaching in the public schools of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. A far cry from the nun-run Catholic school of her childhood, this new world is one shaped by special needs, poverty, and new immigration. Both heartbreaking and heartwarming, Peggy Mastel's debut memoir follows her as she dives into the most challenging job of her life and, against all expectations, finds that that she is the one doing most of the learning.

WHEN I GROW UP I WANT TO BE A TEACHER from Wigu Publishing

Carlee always wanted to be a teacher when she grew up, until her mother is hired as a teacher at her school! Some of her friends are even in her mother's class. Carlee is worried. What will her friends say? Will her mother do something to embarrass her? Carlee vows never to become a teacher like her mother, but as she journeys through the first day of school with her own new teacher, Carlee makes some surprising discoveries. 

WHEN I GROW UP I WANT TO BE IN THE ARMY from Wigu Publishing

When Jake’s teacher assigns a “career” project, Jake decides he wants to be a soldier in the United States Army. Jake and his father visit an Army surplus store to find items he can use to present his project. As they search the store, each item makes the history and proud spirit of the U.S. Army come to life for Jake and readers alike. Through Jake’s discoveries, readers are introduced to the history of the U.S. Army, what soldiers’ duties include, and the equipment they use.

30 DAYS PRAYING THE OUR FATHER by David J. Gonzalez

By taking this 30 Day Course in Prayer, you are about to spend the next 30 Days, and the rest of your life, in a heightened relationship with God. You will need anywhere from 10 minutes in the beginning, up to 30 minutes daily, to start your training to powerful prayer. Later, you may discover that you can pray for an hour with ease! Many books have been written on the subject of prayer throughout time, yet today we still grapple with connecting with God, and having a worthwhile relationship with Him. This book has been written for just such a purpose, to learn to interact with God and to develop a deep relationship with Him, as your God, "Your Father", and your Friend. I believe that everyone daily should recite the "Our Father". I believe it not only aligns us with God on a regular basis, but the prayer also realigns our thinking as to what we should be thinking on a multitude of subjects. There is room on every Day to write your personal requests to pray for. You will find that this book will become your personal daily prayer journal for years to come.

OLIVIA, MOURNING by Yael Politis

Book 1 of the Olivia Series
Historical Fiction - USA, 1840s 

Olivia wants the 80 acres in far off Michigan that her father's will left to whichever of his offspring claims the land. As Olivia says, "I'm sprung off him just as much as Avis or Tobey."
The problem: she's seventeen, female, and it's 1841.

Mourning Free, Olivia's trusted childhood friend, knows how to run a farm and is also sorely in need of a new start in life.
The problem: though born in a free state, he's the orphaned son of runaway slaves and the slave catchers who patrol the north hunting fugitives are not particular about who they take back south with them.

Not without qualms, they set off together. All goes well, despite the drudgery of survival in an isolated log cabin. Incapable of acknowledging her feelings for Mourning, Olivia thinks her biggest problem is her unrequited romantic interest in their young neighbor.
Until her world falls apart.

Strong-willed, vulnerable, and compassionate, Olivia is a compelling protagonist on a journey to find a way to do the right thing in a world in which so much is wrong.

THE END OF THE LINE by Jim Power

Latesha Thomas is a beautiful, young African-American woman who lives with her handicapped father. She is in her final year of university and they are having a hard time making ends meet. She decides to start a matchmaking service to make a little extra money, though she has no experience and it turns out to be a disaster. She does, however, meet a client, a handsome white man named Peter Elsworth. The sparks fly immediately, but there’s a huge problem. Her father, and his mother, are vehemently opposed to an interracial relationship. This leads to tremendous conflict, but their love will not be denied. They grow closer, yet the closer they become, the more the tension rises. In time a secret connection between their two worlds become clear and this adds another dimension of conflict and complexity. But love is color blind and they are irresistibly drawn to one another.

A Little Monday Inspiration - LOVE

Since February is the month of LOVE, I wanted to share my favorite quotes on LOVE from the Bible every Monday.

May you feel God's LOVE today!

John 15:12
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.