Bookreview: 40 Inspirational True Stories

 

"Very touching stories"

Summary

Life is full of challenges ...

... and overcoming them produces stories that inspire. 

Motivation awaits.

In this anthology, 26 writers share their experiences with the goal of
enlightening others. They tell of events that exemplify courage,
resourcefulness and positivity.

Learning from other people's lives helps you become more inspired and
motivated.

What can you learn from viewing life through these writer's eyes? 

You'll love this intriguing collection because the stories range from 
easy-going to heart-rending and have many joyful moments to brighten 
your day. 

My review

40 Inspirational True Stories are short stories written by several lovely 

authors such as Lally Brown, Val Poore. So, it wasn't a big surprise that
I liked the wonderful short stories. 

It really is a book that you must read very carefully and slow and I absolutely
enjoyed the stories and the travel memoirs. 40 Inspirational True Stories
took me on a journey in the life, the memories and the travel stories of
very lovely people. I was very touched by the story of Elizabeth Moore. 

I also like the way the authors who contributed the 40 Inspirational True
Stories were introduced with their picture and a short bio. Wonderful! 

That's why I'm thrilled to give a 5 * rating for this amazing, inspirational
book. 

The author

Robert Fear has lived in Eastbourne, on the south coast of the UK for half
his life. He moved there to be with Lynn, his future wife and is still there
with her thirty years later. As cat-lovers they have taken on several rescue
cats over the years and are owned by the three at the moment.

For his day job, Robert works as a self-employed software consultant. In his
spare time he writes, edits and self-publishes books, and organises annual
travel writing competitions. 

Robert's interest in travel goes back to his twenties when he spent most of his
time abroad. His experiences included; a summer in Ibiza, hitch-hiking around
Europe and touring in the USA & Canada. His most eventful trip was in 1981

when he travelled around Asia.

We love memoirs

I received a free copy from the We love memoirs group on facebook. 

Source picture: book cover

Bookreview: From Moulin Rouge To Gaudi's City

"A wonderful memoir with surprising travel ideas"

Summary

When Elizabeth (EJ Bauer) receives a diagnosis of breast cancer, she
reassesses her life's to-do-list. Having always suppressed her travel longings,
she opens her neglected 'someday' ledger and takes a much closer look at the
contents.

After an opportune invitation from a friend to meet in Paris, and her sister's
enthusiastic agreement to be part of the adventure, a plan begins to take shape. 

Join the Australian trio as they savour the sights of France and Spain, where no
trip is complete without a morsel of local cuisine and a sip of something
sparkling. 

My Review

Paris and Barcelona are two of my favourite cities, so I was very keen to read 
From Moulin Rouge To Gaudi's City. It didn't let me down!

I was surprised by the author's eye for detail. The book is written very clear,
structured and easy to read. 

This was not just a story about Paris and Barcelona. It even gave me
some new travel ideas, which I hope to complete as soon
as it is possible to travel again.

I recommend this book to all people who like to read memoirs about Paris 
and Barcelona. I really enjoyed reading. Therefore I would like to give this
book a 5 star rating. Can I give more?! 

The author

Elizabeth (EJ Bauer)  has lived in Australia all her life. Her working career
began as a speech pathologist and subsequently morphed into the unrelated
field of retail management in a university science centre and planetarium. 

Her passion for travel was brought into stark focus when she was diagnosed
with breast cancer and, following her treatment, a travel plan formed. 

Guam was first, followed quickly by European and North American adventures.

Her illness nudged another long-held interest to the fore and Elizabeth began
chronicling her trips with extensive photography, promising herself she would also 
write about her exploits.

She is happily married, a mother of two, grandmother of five and devoted assistant
to Lucy, a bossy tortoiseshell cat. 

We love memoirs

I received a free copy from the We love memoirs group.
I leave this honest review voluntarily and honestly. 

Source picture: Bookcover 

Bookreview: Living the Quieter Algarve Dream

 Living the Quieter Algarve Dream

written by Alyson Sheldrake

"A sunny memoir for anyone who likes Portugal"

Summary

Have you ever longed for a quieter life? Ever wanted to escape the crowds,
walk on deserted beaches, and experience all that a different country has to
offer? 

Alyson and her husband Dave Sheldrake moved to the Western Algarve far
from tourists, to live in a rural market town. 

In this part guidebook, mostly memoir, find out why the Algarve is a favourite
destination for so many, and why this couple has made it their home. 

My Review

Portugal always has fascinated me. Till now, I only visited Lisbon, Sintra and
Porto, however I really want to discover more from this lovely country. So, I
was very pleased to receive a free copy via We Love Memoirs on Facebook. 

I immediately was into the story, which is a splendid mix of a memoir and
a guidebook. I particularly liked the fact that the author wrote so much about
history. I also learned something about moving.

"Living the Quieter Algarve dream" offers a glimpse about the couple's live
in the Algarve. It was very interesting and it gave lots of information.

I also noted that "Living the Quieter Algarve dream" was written very 
fluently and that the chapters were clear and structured. I really liked
the colourful pictures in the book. 

To conclude: I would recommend this book to all people who love 
Portugal and to them who want to move to that lovely country. Therefore,
I give with lots of pleasure and without no hesitation a 5 star rating!

The Author

Alyson Sheldrake was born in Birmingham in 1968. She has always loved
art and painting, although she found little time for such pleasures, working
full time after graduation. She joined the Devon and Cornwall Police in 
1992 and served there for thirteen years, before leaving to work in the
field of education. She became the Director of Education for the Church
of England in Devon in 2008.

Once her husband Dave retired from Police, their long-held dream of 
living in the sun could become a reality. Alyson handed in her notice and
with her dusty easel and set of acrylic paints packed and ready to move,
they started their new adventure living in the beautiful Algarve in 
Portugal in 2011.

Alyson is the author of the award-winning and popular Algarve Blog and
has also been a keynote speaker for several years at the annual
'Live and Invest in Portugal' international conference. She is also a 
feature writer for the Tomorrow Algarve magazine.

She is an accomplished and sought-after artist working alongside her
husband Dave, a professional photographer.

Her first book Living the Dream - in the Algarve was full of useful
advice, enjoyable adventures and humorous accounts of their Algarve
life in the sun. 

The sequel, Living the Quieter Algarve Dream continues their story. 

She also has a website, check this link. 

Check also her wonderful Algarve Blog on this link.

We love Memoirs 

I've received a free copy of Living the Quieter Algarve Dream
via the We Love Memoirs group. 

We Love Memoirs is the friendliest, most caring group on Facebook.
It is the place where memoir readers and authors can chat together.

I really like that group. 

Source picture: Book Cover

Author in the picture: Lally Brown

Since 2012, I have a Twitter account. Almost from the beginning I met some lovely authors such as Lally Brown. 

She always posts very interesting tweets. She also has written three fantastic books:

- The Countess, Napoleon and St. Helena,

- The Volcano, Montserrat and Me,

- High and Dry in the BVI.

Here books are a splendid mix of personal memoirs and history as well,
written in a style I like. 

When I started this book blog, I really wanted her to ask some interesting?
questions for my author page. 

So here is the Author in the picture interview of Lally Brown. 

The Interview

Since when did you start writing stories and books?

I think I must have been born with the urge to write and tell stories Kathleen! Apparently I wrote my first ‘poem’ (about three naughty bears) when I was six and I’ve been writing all sorts of stuff ever since. My sister was an invalid and I would sit beside her bed and make up stories as I went along, something I now enjoy doing with my four grandsons. I was a journalist for a while and this enabled me to play with words - great experience for a wannabe writer!

Do you keep a diary?

Not anymore, but when I first lived abroad my parents demanded to know every little detail of my exciting new life. They insisted on long weekly letters, which they carefully saved. These became known in the family as ‘Lally’s Journals’ and later formed the foundation of my memoirs.

You’ve lived in lots of places around the world. Where was/is your favourite place?

Oh my goodness that’s a hard one to answer. I’ve loved every home I’ve ever had, from a pretty little house in an English village (one church, one shop, three pubs, primary school and village green) to the remote and isolated island of St Helena in the middle of the South Atlantic. Exiled Napoleon may have hated the island but I loved the peace, scenery, and the fabulously friendly people.

On reflection I can see that I am obviously devoted to islands, Caribbean islands in particular. Even the smallest island has a fascinating history when you begin to dig. Add sunshine, beautiful deserted beaches, shimmering sapphire sea, spectacular scenery, and you have a winning combination. Of course nature can and does throw in a wobbly now and again, an erupting volcano or a hurricane for instance.

Truth be told though I adore where I live now. The Isle of Wight is tucked into a dimple off the south coast of England. We have everything. Slow pace of life, history coming out of our ears, wonderful sandy beaches, nice climate, lovely walking and cycling. No volcanoes and no hurricanes and I can see my grandsons whenever I like. I feel well blessed to be living here. Our island motto sums it up perfectly … “All this beauty is of God.”

Have you inherited certain habits from places you’ve lived?

Definitely …for instance I am amazingly careful with water, a precious commodity when you have to collect the rain from your roof into a cistern built under the house and that’s all you’ve got to last you through the dry season. I’ve also collected some terrific recipes which I use often. For instance Jamaican banana bread and St Helena fishcakes, tomato paste sandwiches and the traditional island ‘Plo’ are regulars in my kitchen. When I lived in St Helena I edited and published a book of island recipes for my neighbour who was a great cook, and now I use this myself all the time.

Do you listen to music while writing?

No I don’t, which is odd considering I’m a huge fan of classical music (especially Mozart) but when I write I’m in  my own little world, totally cut off from whatever is happening around me. Music would just be a distraction.

Do you have other interests? I know you have a great knowledge about roses. But what else do you like or are you interested by? Inspired by?

Ha ha … roses are my husband’s pride and joy and I’ve absorbed knowledge of them through a sort of osmosis. But I thoroughly enjoy cooking, making my own cakes, bakes and jams. And when the elderflower blooms I can be found early morning gathering bunches of blossom to make elderflower cordial.

Also I thoroughly enjoy walking, especially up on the cliffs and down by the beach, the sound of the sea is so soothing and the breeze blows away any cobwebs in my head.

In a later e-mail Lally added:

 I realised afterwards I'd forgotten to mention my love of photography ... can't imagine how i could have omitted that since I've been developing and printing my own images since I was 12 ..... digital camera's are just so easy these days!

 I liked the way you stayed calm and busy during the volcano eruption. Are you always so cool and calm?

 Oh if only I could say ‘yes’ to this question Kathleen! I’d describe myself as a worrier, but it does seem that when my back is to the wall something deep inside just takes over and helps me cope and I can appear cool, calm and collected in a crisis.

Which other authors do you like and do you recommend?

Far too many to mention, unless you can give me a couple of blank pages and I’ll happily list them for you. Way back during my adolescence, author Dervla Murphy was an inspiration to me, what a woman, ‘Full Tilt – Ireland to India with a bicycle’ made me dream of being a free-spirit wandering the globe, I blame her for my lifelong love of travel.

But my current absolute favourite authors include two lovely ladies, Valerie Poore and Beth Haslam. Both have given me so much pleasure through their writing, I am forever grateful.

Do you have new writing plans?

Well I’m supposed to be finalising my new memoir ready for launch very soon. It’s called ‘Treefrogs Can’t Sing’ and chronicles a return to the British Virgin Islands with a baby and a toddler. It is the sequel to my first BVI memoir ‘High and Dry in the BVI’ but stands alone.

Breaking news! 

There is more.... Lally has allowed me to reveal ....

the first cover of her newest book! What a beauty! 

 

To conclude

I only read two of the three books of Lally Brown. I really liked them both so I hope to read the
two books about the BVI. 

If you want to know more about Lally Brown check these links:

Goodreads on this link

Twitter on this link 

Of course her books (with the exception of the latest one) are available on Amazon. 

Bookreview: Back on Bonaire

 Rediscovering the diver's paradise as a father 

"Amazing book! I want to go to Bonaire !! 

(this is a hint to my husband😜)"

Summary

With its protected nearshore reef system, gem-clear seas, and sweeping conservation 

efforts, Bonaire has earned the title it boasts on its license plates: Diver’s Paradise. 

For Andrew Jalbert, who first visited in the early 1990s, there was a draw to the island 

that was hard to shake. He returned regularly over the next twenty-five years in a variety 

of capacities: as a scuba instructor, a sun-starved vacationer, and a writer/photographer. 

What he hadn’t expected at 43 years old, however, was to return as a father.

Back on Bonaire is the story of stitching together two very different lives: one of airports, 

scuba tanks, article assignments and underwater cameras; the other of car seats, 

kindergarten, skinned knees and the boundless curiosity of a child.

Jalbert merges both worlds in an enjoyable, funny and at times touching account 

of introducing his son to his beloved Bonaire. Along the way the reader gets a look 

at the island’s cultural and natural history, some of its people and the importance 

of preserving the ecology of Bonaire – for his son and future generations. 

My Review

Sun, sea, beach and an amazing beautiful diving place. I've never been to 
Bonaire before. But after reading this book, I'm more convinced to go and
I would like to have Andrew Jalbert as a guide. 

The book "Back on Bonaire" is written very well: clearly and with lots of
humour. 

"Back on Bonaire" is fit for people who like to learn from experiences from
others. I certainly will recommend this book to friends, colleagues and family.
I like to give it a 5 star rating on 5 and even more. 

The Author

Andrew Jalbert is an award-winning photographer, writer, and doting father.
Throughout his twenty-five years as an archaeologist, scuba instructor and dive
guide he has traveled extensively, publishing work on prehistoric sites,
shipwrecks, travel, dive safety, and marine conservation. Jalbert lives in Monona,
Wisconsin with his wife Becky and their son Luc.

Please do check the website of Andrew Jalbert on this link. 

BookSirens

I received an advance review copy for free. Thank you very much to BookSirens
for this splendid opportunity. I'm leaving this review voluntarily. 

Source picture: Book Cover