Book Spotlight: Self-Confident Sandy by Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino & Illustrated by Sally Huss

Self-Confident Sandy by Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino & Illustrated by Sally Huss

Today I want to spotlight a special book. Self Confident Sandy is written by Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino & Illustrated by Sally Huss. It is out now and you can click here to read it on Kindle unlimited. Here's what it's all about...

Sandy was full of self-confidence. Where did it come from? She could do anything, but why? Ah, she had a special mantra that she used to explain herself. “” You may ask me why I can do anything I try… and the only answer can be: all these things are inside me!’ Yes, I can do most anything. Once I set my mind and heart to it, I find that there is nothing to it. Still, I keep my mantra handy,” explained Self-Confident Sandy!

About Sally Huss

Author/Illustrator Sally Huss creates children’s books to uplift the lives of children. She does this by giving them tools to overcome obstacles; by helping them value themselves and others; and by inspiring them to be the best that they can be. Her catalogue of books now exceeds 100.

"Bright and happy," "light and whimsical" have been the catch phrases attached to the writings and art of Sally Huss for over 30 years. Sweet images dance across all of Sally's creations, whether in the form of children's books, paintings, wallpaper, ceramics, baby bibs, purses, clothing, or her King Features syndicated newspaper panel "Happy Musings."

Sally is a graduate of USC with a degree in Fine Art and through the years has had 26 of her own licensed art galleries throughout the world. sallyhuss.com.

About Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino is one of America's foremost personal and corporate development consultants. She is the creator of The Best Ever You Network (or Best Ever You), a leading multimedia provider of lifestyle and self-help content. While participating in the Harvard Business School for Leadership program, Elizabeth serves as a Leadership Advisor for the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute.

In 2020 Elizabeth joined Sally Huss to create the best-selling children’s book A Lesson for Every Child: Learning About Food Allergies. Living with life-threatening food allergies for many years, Elizabeth added her personal experience and her expertise to the project. She also sits on several boards of organizations and foundations that bring awareness to this life-threatening condition.

Elizabeth is also the best-selling author of Percolate – Let Your Best Self Filter Through (Hay House Publishing). elizabethguarino.com.

Review: Cinders and Sparks Fairies in the Forest by Lindsey Kelk

In this second hilarious Cinders and Sparks adventure, our chaotic comedy duo head for Fairyland to find Cinders’s mother – and get more than they bargained for . . . Perfect for readers of 7-9 and fans of Shrek and Frozen.

Cinders and her talking dog Sparks are on the run, in the Deep Dark Forest, after Cinders performed magic at the castle and made everyone think she was a witch. The hapless Hansel is on the run with them, but only because he ate some of an actual witch’s gingerbread house and she got cross. If they can reach Fairyland, maybe they’ll all be safe.

In the forest they will find three bears, a multitude of ridiculous adventures and one woman called Rapunzel in a tower. But Rapunzel may not be what she seems…

Will Hansel eat the three bears’ porridge? Will Sparks offer useless advice at every turn? Will Brian the fairy godmother appear and actually help for once?

The answers are: yes, yes and no.

Review: Oh my goodness I just love these book and I can't wait to hear what Cinders and Sparks get up to next. If you loved the last Cinders and Sparks book then  you are going to love this one even more. There are more funny moments, more silliness, more girl power and more fairy tales twisted and adapted for your reading pleasure. 

I just love how we can have a children's book that is silly and funny and yet have some strong characters who are good role models in the process. These books take what we know about fairy tales and turn them on their head. The stuff that remains is great fiction and something with a bit of a lesson along the way. 

I also really love the magic in this book. Again, I think that this has been ramped up for book 2 but it is a kind of realistic magic, something which characters often question and often pause before 'activating'. 

I definitely laughed during this book, it was a quick read and I enjoyed every moment of it. I'm headed to pre-order the next book in the series right now!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Review: Between Sisters by Cathy Kelly

Cassie has spent her married life doing everything right - making sure her children have the perfect life, being a devoted wife and a dutiful daughter-in-law. Although it's left her so exhausted that 'wine o'clock' comes a little earlier each afternoon . . .

Her sister Coco runs a vintage dress shop and has shied away from commitment over the years. Coco believes men complicate things, and she's got enough to contend with. Until a face from her past returns.

Watching over them is grandmother Pearl, tucked away in her little house in Delaney Square. But something is keeping her awake at night. Was she right to do what she did all those years ago?

And then there's Elsa, the polished face of daytime TV, who's battled demons of her own in the past and come out on top. Now Elsa faces one final fight - but it will require more bravery than anything which has come before.

Review: I loved this book so much more than I thought I would. I know that makes it sound negative but it really isn't that, I've just never read anything by Cathy Kelly before then I went to an event with her and loved the sound of the book so I downloaded the audio book and absolutely raced through it, i literally couldn't wait to get in the car and get stuck into it. I listened to the last 3 hours back to back when I got home, it was so exciting.

The characters in this book are so strong, I am thinking about them still! I loved these sisters and all the other characters who revolved around them. When phoebe (not a sister) was introduced to the story, I was a little confused about where she would fit in to it all but she actually turned out to be one of my favourite characters and her storyline has really stuck with me. It was fabulous how each character had a chapter at a time dedicated to them but also each character was intertwined with another and so it was all woven together beautifully!

I really liked that fact that the book took place over a pretty short time frame and yet we have lots of references to things that have gone on in the past and so you really feel like you have been taken into these characters lives and embraced into their inner circle. Although it did jump around between places and characters it was easy to follow and was so engaging, you barely noticed that you were having to adjust to someone else!

I think this would be a great read for anyone who wants a good heart-warming read, esepcially at this time of year when family are so improtant. I think if you have children or if you don't have children, you will be able to identify with the characters in this book. And if, like me, this is your first Cathy Kelly book, or whether you are a Cathy Kelly fan already, you won't be disappointed! This would also make a lovely Christmas present...

To order your copy, click here!

Review: The No Kids Club by Talli Roland

At almost forty, Clare Donoghue is living child-free and loving it.

Then her boyfriend says he wants kids, breaking off their promising relationship. And it’s not just boyfriends: one by one, her formerly carefree friends are swallowed up in a nonstop cycle of play dates and baby groups. So Clare decides it’s time for people who don’t have children to band together. And so the No-Kids Club is born.

As the group comes together—Anna, who’s seeking something to jumpstart a stale marriage, and Poppy, desperate for a family but unable to conceive—Clare’s hoping to make the most of the childless life with her new friends.

Will the No-Kids Club be Clare’s route to happiness, or will single life lose its sparkle? Clare is faced with a tough decision and surprises herself along the way.

Review: I love the fact that women who don't want children, not because they can't have them or because they don't have a partner are now being written about, therefore I love the premise behind this book. I really liked the structure as well. Three people with their own lives and issues coming to get her to the No Kids Club all for different reasons and all hoping to get something out of it and becoming friends. This was a totally heart-warming, lovely read that also made you think and carried you along right the way to the end! 

I loved Clare's character the most, I think because she was an incredibly hard-working woman as well as someone who didn't want children in her life and so I could really relate to her and loved seeing her represented in this book! I was drawn to ann because I felt sorry for her and because I wanted everything to go right for her. Of course I identified with poppy too because she was a school teacher although I was occasionally jealous that she seemd to actually have time to breathe and eat as well as be at work! 

The storyline isn't just about whether someone wants a family or not, it is about these three women and their place in modern society. Over the course of the book you get to see them grow as women, get to see them change and become more accepting of themselves and their choices, it was just a real feel-good read but challenging at the same time. As I have already said, this was a fairly fast paced book, I listened to this on audiobook and it was an enjoyable listen but to anyone looking to pick this up in its ebook form, I really recommend that this goes on your TBR now.