India

Book Review & Giveaway: Finding Family in a Far-Away Land by Amanda Wall

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Book Title:  Finding Family in a Far-Away Land: An Adoption Story by Amanda Wall
Category:  Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7),  44 pages
Genre:  Children’s Picture Book, Adoption
Publisher:  BookBaby
Release date:   March 29, 2021
Content Rating:  G for everyone.


Book Description:

Every adoption experience is uniquely different but the yearning to have unconditional family love is universal. Two Indian sisters, Priya and Ari, experience what it’s like to be adopted into a multi-cultural, interracial family. Walk alongside these two charming, dynamic girls as they journey through the adoption transition to a new country full of new experiences!

“Finding Family in a Far-Away Land” is a pensive and sometimes comical book that demonstrates how children can experience the same journey quite differently. A glossary of cultural terms is included so that all can learn and enjoy what Ari and Priya cherish about their Indian roots. This story is meant to be a resource to those hoping to learn about one family’s adoption experience― and may even help a child process their own adoption story. The intended audience for this book is children ages 4-10.


Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ IndieBound
add to goodreads

My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

This is the story of Priya and Ari who lived in India until their parents died. They were put in an orphanage until an American family adopted them. They had a lot to adapt to, of course, but now they are part of one big happy family.

Finding Family in a Far-Away Land is a wonderful book that teaches some of the things that adopted children go through and some of the feelings they experience. It also teaches about some of the Indian culture that Priya and Ari want to hold onto in a world that is so different than the one they were born into.

I enjoyed learning some things I didn’t know about the Indian culture, and I’m sure children will too. There are a few terms in the glossary in the back that help explain a few of the words. It’s also an excellent book for children who are adopted or are being adopted. It can help them realize that it’s normal to be scared or shy or whatever else they’re feeling.

About the Author

Amanda is a mother of four with a heart towards adoption. She lives in Colorado with her family but loves to travel and connect with others through their culture. Educating families on adoption is a passion for Amanda because the adoptees’ voice is often unheard.

connect with the author: website ~ instagram ~ goodreads

Giveaway

https://gleam.io/ol4Uw/finding-family-in-a-faraway-land-book-tour-giveaway

Follow the Tour

June 21 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
June 21 – Cover Lover Book Review – book review / giveaway
June 22 – A Mama’s Corner of the World – book review / giveaway
June 23 – The Adventures of a Travelers Wife – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 24 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
June 25 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
June 28 –Older & Smarter? – book review / giveaway
June 29 – Cheryl’s Book Nook – book review / giveaway
June 30 – The Phantom Paragrapher – book review
July 1 – @twilight_teader – book review
July 1 – Bound 4 Escape – book review / giveaway
July 2 – Reading is My Passion -book review
July 6 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / author interview / giveaway
July 8 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
July 9 – Lisa’s Reading – book spotlight / giveaway
July 12 – Reading Authors Network – book review / giveaway
July 13 – Splashes of Joy – book review / author interview / giveaway
July 14 – The Bespectacled Mother – book review
July 15 – Sahar’s Blog – book review / giveaway
July 16 – Books for Books – book review

Book Review & Giveaway: A Journey to Yonder by Nidhi Kaur

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Book Title: A Journey to Yonder by Nidhi Kaur
Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 130 pages
Genre: Memoir / Poetry
Publisher: Independent (Createspace)
Release date: September 2017
Tour dates: Jan 3 to 19, 2017
Content Rating: R (for explicit sex scenes written poetically and in good taste)

 

Book Description

A Journey to Yonder is the tale of one woman’s refusal to allow the challenges of her past to define her present. She grows up with a special needs sibling and loses her childhood home, and we then follow her through an abusive relationship and into the most unforgiving of human trials.

With experiences that leave you feeling so alone, how do you hold on to hope? How do you go on?

Nidhi Kaur’s compelling use of both poetry and prose intimately welcomes readers into this moving story of spiritual rediscovery. Poems are sprinkled throughout the story, guiding readers through intimate and stunning moments of truth. Kaur reminds us that if we offer our trust completely to God, we are never alone.

The author of the spiritual collection of poetry My Wedding with Truth, Nidhi Kaur once again delivers an emotionally enlightened journey through the human heart. Miracles can be seen everywhere in this world, and Kaur helps us remember to keep our eyes open in this riveting story of redemption.

To read more reviews, please visit Nidhi Kaur’s page on iRead Book Tours.

 

Buy the Book:
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My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

I don’t remember reading a book like A Journey to Yonder before. It is a mixture of fact, fiction, and poetry. I like the author’s writing style and how she blends prose and poetry to weave a spiritual tale.

The first part of A Journey to Yonder takes place in India and is about a girl’s life of loves and trials, as well as some of the customs of India. When her brother is born deaf, he has to go to another town to go to a good school for the hearing impaired. Her father’s goal is to save enough money to move the family to the U.S. where her brother would get an even better education and the family would be together. That doesn’t work out and she ends up in an abusive marriage with nowhere to turn. It’s a heart-wrenching tale and I had to read the end of that section twice because I couldn’t believe what I was reading.

The second part of the book tells of some of the horrors women in India can endure. I knew some things about India’s culture, such as arranged marriages but I had no idea how women are treated.

The last part of the book is inspirational and is about faith and hope. Despite all she faced in the past, she knows that putting faith in God can heal us and that we’ll never be alone.

Although this isn’t the type of book I usually read, I’m glad I chose to read A Journey to Yonder. It is inspiring and full of beautiful poetry and I always enjoy learning about other cultures.

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About the Author

 

Nidhi Kaur is the author of My Wedding with Truth, a collection of inspirational poetry. After discovering the healing power of the written word, Kaur began exploring the power of the divine through her poems.

A Journey to Yonder combines prose and poetry to explore Kaur’s challenging trails of life and her search for miracles in every moment of time.

Kaur lives in Fremont, California, where she works as a software engineer.

Connect with Nidhi: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

 

 

Enter the Giveaway!

Ends Jan 27, 2018
 
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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Book Review: If You Were Me and Lived in… by Carole P. Roman

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ABOUT THE “IF YOU WERE ME AND LIVED IN…” BOOKS:

The “If You Were Me and Lived In…” books are an introduction to customs and cultures around the world. The series is a collection of twenty-two books designed to help children experience life from the perspective of a variety of other children from all around the world, in the hopes that they’ll see how similar we all really are.

The idea of countries, borders, and customs is sometimes difficult for youngsters to grasp. Carole breaks things down into various topics that even the youngest child can identify with – what their name might be, where the country is located, what they would call their parents, what kind of food would they eat, what one thing identifies the country, like a landmark. Children finish each book able to identify both similarities and differences, and with the added of having multiple books, can compare how life is all over the world.

The series includes books about the following countries:

  • Australia
  • Brazil
  • China
  • Cuba
  • Egypt
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • India
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Kenya
  • Mexico
  • Norway
  • Peru
  • Portugal
  • Poland
  • Russia
  • Scotland
  • South Korea
  • Turkey

My Review

I chose to read these books after receiving a free e-copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

I read If You Were Me and Lived in Kenya and If You Were Me and Lived in India. Both books give examples of what your name might be if you lived there. They also describe the type of food you might eat. Each book has a map and a globe at the beginning to show exactly where the country is. They also have a list of the pronunciation of some words at the end.

If You Were Me and Lived in Kenya teaches that the capital is Nairobi. Visitors might go to Maasai Mara National Reserve to observe wildlife. It even has a lodge right on the reserve! Their favorite pastime is cricket and instead of playing with electronics they play with handmade toys.

If You Were Me and Lived in India teaches that the capital is New Delhi. It was built over the site of seven ancient cities. There are over 100 languages and many cultures in India so they have a wide variety of traditions and foods. Their favorite pastime is also cricket.

It would be great to have a whole set of these books for children to read over and over. They are easy to read and have cute and colorful illustrations sure to keep the attention of a child.

PURCHASE THE “IF YOU WERE ME AND LIVED IN…” BOOKS ON AMAZON HERE

ABOUT CAROLE P. ROMAN

Carole P. Roman is the award-winning author of the Captain No Beard series. Both Captain No Beard-An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate’s Life and Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis have received the Kirkus Star of Exceptional Merit. The first book in the series was named to Kirkus Reviews Best 2012. Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis has been named to Kirkus Reviews Best of 2015. Each book in the series has won numerous awards including the NABE Pinnacle Award, IAN Award, Moonbeam Award 2014, National Indie Excellence Award Finalist, Shelf Media Outstanding Series Award, ForeWord Review Five Star and Finalist in the Book of the Year, and Reader’s Views Children’s Book of the Year 2013.

Carole P. Roman is also the author of the award-winning non-fiction culture series, “If You Were Me and Lived in…”, that explores customs and cultures around the world. She has co-authored a self-help book, Navigating Indieworld A Beginners Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing. She lives on Long Island with her husband and near her children and grandchildren. Carole invites readers to connect with her via her website.

Book Review & Giveaway: India by Debra Schoenberger

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I have always been fascinated by the sheer beauty and diversity in Indian culture. “Sensory overload in a glance” is an apt description of a country that is always in movement. To be able to stand still in the middle of all that movement allows me to really “see” her people and absorb the flow of life from birth to death.

From learning how to make yellow ink from cow urine to watching funeral pyres burn in Varanasi, I realized that I would have to spend a lifetime here to grasp the immense value of her art, stunning architecture, fascinating food and love of all that is beautiful.

 

Buy the book:   Amazon   Blurb   iTunes   Website

 

Add on goodreads

My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. I had read To Be a Child by Debra Schoenberger so I was looking forward to reading this book also.

India is full of amazing photos taken in India. There is a map at the end of the book that shows where the photos were taken which I found interesting. She didn’t go to just once city but to many. The photos capture the diversity of Indian culture, from beautiful architecture to cows lazing in the streets. Debra has captured it all.

This would make a good coffee table book. It’s a book to pick up over and over to look at the photos again and again. It is a book for all ages since it is full of photos rather than text. 

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About the Author

Debra Schoenberger aka #girlwithcamera

“My dad always carried a camera under the seat of his car and was constantly taking pictures. I think that his example, together with pouring over National Geographic magazines as a child fuelled my curiosity for the world around me.

I am a documentary photographer and street photography is my passion. Some of my images have been chosen by National Geographic as editor’s favourites and are on display in the National Geographic museum in Washington, DC.  I also have an off-kilter sense of humour so I’m always looking for the unusual.

 

Connect with the author:    Website ~  Facebook ~ Instagram ~  Pinterest

 

The Amazon purchase link in this post is an affiliate link. Purchasing through it helps sustain Bound 4 Escape.

Book Review: The Temple is Not My Father by Rasana Atreya

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Ensnared by a tradition hundreds of years old, a woman fights for her daughter’s happiness.

From the author of ‘Tell A Thousand Lies,’ which was shortlisted for the 2012 Tibor Jones South Asia award. UK’s Glam magazine calls ‘Tell A Thousand Lies’ on of their ‘five favourite tales from India.’

Available on Amazon.

 

My Review

I chose to read this e-book after receiving a free copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

This story is short but full of emotion and tradition. Godavari is married to the temple. This is confusing to Godavari’s daughter, Sreeja, because she’s told that the temple is not her father. 

When Godavari was very young, her father forced her into the life of the Devadasis, those married to the Goddess of Yellamma, but over time have become no more than prostitutes. The only positive thing for Godavari was her mother who protected her as much as she could and Godavari ended up being sexually abused by only one man rather than many.

Godavari lives for her daughter and only wants her to be happy and not have a sad life such as hers. She sacrifices so much for Sreeja, doing what she believes is best. But is it?

I definitely recommend The Temple is Not My Father. It is short but powerful and informative.

 

About the Author

5771483RASANA ATREYA has sailed two-and-a-half of the seven seas, survived Disneyland and is hanging on to her sanity – barely – as she raises a teen and a younger kid who thinks she’s too cool to be pre-teen.

Rasana is embarrassed to admit she once worked in a job that paid real money. Happily enough, that phase passed, and now she finds herself the author of three books set in India, the first of which was shortlisted for the ‘2012 Tibor Jones South Asia prize’. UK’s Glam magazine calls this novel – Tell A Thousand Lies – one of their ‘five favourite tales from India.’

The other two are ’28 Years A Bachelor’ and ‘The Temple Is Not My Father’ (also available as audiobook). She has also written fanfiction for Toby Neal’s Lei Crime series. This novella is called ‘Valley Isle Secrets.’

Rasana is happy (ok, ecstatic) to hear from her readers. She can be reached at rasana@rasanaatreya.com. For news about her new books, you can join her mailing list at rasanaatreya.com.