What I read in July 2024

I unfortunately do not have the energy to review every book I read or every game I play. I frequently say stuff on Twitter, but that's about it. I feel it would be nice to get back into the habit of monthly reads' plays so at least you know what I've been reading and gaming. So let's begin with the books! The games will be in a separate post

Due to being tired and unwell more than normal I didn't read a lot this month and that's ok

The Abandonned Empress by Yuna and Ina, Korean Manga, Excellent

The fact each page is full colour has me so happy! Trying not to be killed in her reincarnated life, this little Empress is smart, has the most beautiful clothes and a tale that I'm intrigued by and wish I could afford more than one book every 1-2 months. 

AdelAIDE by Melinda Salisbury, Young Adult, Dyslexia Friendly, Teen, Excellent 

And people wonder I don't like AI! this is edge of the seat reading. Review here.

 

 Peter Pan by J M Barrie, Classic Literaure, Okay 

Peter is the villain - he kills pirates! Literally! Glad I read it but won't reread. Review here.

 

Pirate Academy #1 New Kid on Deck by Justin Somper, Children's, 7 years +, Excellent

Adored Justin's Vampireate series, check out my review here.

Sunshine At the Cornish Bakery by Sarah Hope, Romance, Very good 

Who doesn't love a bakery themed read? Yes it made me want pastries a lot. But was a sweet romance. 

Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts, Thriller, Audiobook, very good

1st ever Nora Roberts book, long but extremely clever with plot twists. Looking forward to the other books I have of hers.

 

Review: Curious Words For Clever Kids by Sarah Craiggs & Fiona Powers (Children's, Non-fiction, 10E/10E)

  August 2023, Hodder Children's Books, 68 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Book summary from Hachette Children's 

Have you ever wondered what an Indri is, eaten a Clapshot, grown a Cloudberry or come across a Colugo? Do you always find yourself looking up CURIOUS WORDS?

From Nefarious and Knots to Yuzus and Yews, this brilliant tour through over 1,000 wonderful words and their meanings, packed with awesome illustrations is the perfect book for kids who always want to know what EVERYTHING means!

Colourful pages burst with curious words on subjects from space and dinosaurs to colours and actions, while language spreads explain how different types of words can do what you want them to do.

Nayu's thoughts

Words to any language are strange and require time to learn, something I can still appreciate as I do speak more than one language and while I don't formally learn French and Japanese any more, I still pick up new words as I read manga and watch anime. It is impossible to learn every word that exists, and children have to learn a lot of words throughout school. Anything that makes learning memorable and interesting is an absolute must. Sarah's choice of words along with Fiona's illustrations are a perfect combo to portray over 1000 words stated in this book. I liked how immersive each double page is, no two pages are alike. Words are displayed at different angles; food words are shown through a food market, weather words are shown in a picture of the world including weather system. Some are brightly coloured, others in pastels. 

All are presented in unique ways  that hopefully makes assimilating the words easier to comprehend. I may be in my early fourth decade but I didn't know all the words in the book. I'd never heard of a "crwth", a welsh musical instrument played with a bow, and as a bird lover I'd never heard of an ovenbird, a bird who builds dome shaped nests (I guess like domed ovens). No matter our life experience we all have something to learn, and ok some of us may never need to know that a group of rhinos are called "a stubborness of rhinoceroses" (very apt name given their size and strength), but they might prove useful for general knowledge quiz games and are amusing to think about. The book itself is about A4 sized, which is plenty big enough to read alone or with a friend. I'm going to be giving this to my helper as I know her 4 children will enjoy reading this (two are far too young for now but it can wait until they are older). 

See more of Fiona's work on her website. 

Suggested read

If you love new words I believe there are some in A Kiwi Year and A Canadian Year by Tania McCarney and Tina Snerling (Children's, Non-fiction, 10E/10E)

 

 

Nayu's News #255 I'm In Twinkl's Top Picks For Book Bloggers!

 

Lately I am not super regular in book reading or reviewing, I am trying to change that this year. Due to the sporadic blogging it was a surprise when I was contacted by Twinkl, an international publisher filled with learning resources,  to say I'd been chosen to be featured in an article about book bloggers! How cool is that! 

I sent in a photo of my bookcase and some words which actually refer to my good friend Gina of Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers who is all sorts of awesome despite being on a different continent. Here is the official info with the link to the article-I was asked to use the exact wording but I'm happy with it.

"I have been included in the most recent article <Twinkl's top picks for 
book bloggers> by the international educational publisher, Twinkl - you can 
read more here."

I even get a metaphorically shiny badge for my blog!!! It's so fancy!

It's a great way to start 2022 so thank you Twinkl!

Nayu's News #242 Sean Penn Wrote a Book

This post had the possibility to be a paid feature one, but it isn't because I generally don't do that and am happy discussing the issue with you. Waiting in my email box I get the usual requests for book reviews, as well as other requests. Some are spam, wanting me to buy things I've no interest in. Quite a few are for music and theatre – not quite sure why because I don't review anything music related, I'm simply not interested in a lot of music (unless it's vocaloid, game, or anime based, that's a different matter) Some are for various toys that are coming out which I say no to as they don't interest me. Then there's the other type of emails which catch my eye, like this one did.

When approached for reviews I usually get told upfront what needs reviewing, sometimes they don't, like this one. When I asked about the company, I was given the info, and it intrigued me. Sean Penn, a famous actor who I vaguely knew existed but have no clue which films he has participated in, has written a book Bob Honey Who Just DoStuff (link takes you to GoodReads). I had a look at the book, with the intention to read it but from what I've seen online it gets quite explicit, which I'd rather not read. However, the whole reason I'm feature the book is because through my research it turns out I share quite a few similar views to Sean which was unexpected. I'm not saying which views because they are ones that so many people are divided on and I try to stay away from politics on my blogs.

Now if you look online there have been a fair few negative reviews about this book, but I want to ask that you don't judge a book by what other people say, and check it out for yourself. I didn't expect to have much in common with Sean, but it turns out that preconception was incorrect, based on the research I did. My point for talking about the book is not to judge anything or anyone based on what other people say. Everyone's experience is different, and while I believe there are a fair few things in the book that I've no interest in, equally in the research I did without reading the book I discovered surprising elements of common ground.

I live in a nice little bubble, with no clue about who the latest celebrities and films are (apart from the newest Jurassic Park movie which I want to see when it's out on DVD and the Jumanji movie). I have no idea who is dating who, what gossip is spread about celebrities, anything like that. I've simply no interest, I prefer gaming news! And yet I've found it very interesting to research Sean Penn, and urge you to step out of your comfort zone/own bubble world and research either Sean and/or another person in the public eye who you don't think you share anything in common with - you'll probably be surprised by what you find! 

Find out more about Sean on Wikipedia (Most of this info will be accurate)