If you are looking for an original book to give to your mother, why not pick up “B” by Sarah Kay. Sarah Kay is a renowned slam poet, author and TEDTalk sensation. (If you don’t know what slam poetry is – I didn’t – it is poetry performed in front of a live audience where it is judged not only on content but on presentation.)

“B” is a thank you note, love letter, wish, promise, confession, and a secret all at once. The poem is a message of love that can grow in meaning each time it is read. The book includes illustrations by Sophia Janowitz. My favorite quote from the book:

So instead,
I’ll always keep an extra supply of chocolate and rain boots nearby,
because there is no heartbreak that chocolate can’t fix.
Okay, there’s a few heartbreaks that chocolate can’t fix.
But that’s what the rain boots are for.
Because rain will wash away everything, if you let it.

I loved the flow of the poem and the way that it conveys what you would want a daughter to know or a mother to remember. You can buy a copy at Amazon.com or other booksellers.

Here is Sarah Kay performing “If I should have a daughter….”

Choices (The Guardian Trilogy)

Hearts break. Loved ones are lost. Life keeps moving.

Olivia Martin’s afterlife was more dangerous and confusing than her life ever was. She thought she was ready to come back, to forget about Holden and to let go of the rage consuming her. Fulfilling her destiny as a guardian was all that mattered—the past could stay hidden in the crevices of her mind. However, when guardians are murdered and the evidence points towards jinn, she has to do something. To save anyone’s future, Olivia will have to confront the one person from her past she is terrified to see.

Holden waited for Olivia with the hope he would see her one more time. But when she didn’t return, he found salvation in darkness. The black and twisted road made it easier to forget what he lost than to live with the memory of what he had. An unexpected promotion shoves him into a world of intoxicating power and influence. Holden will have to choose between his new life and the woman he thought was gone forever.

From the ashes of Secrets, Choices are born that will change everything.

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When a 72 year old woman makes a bet and loses, she must go and live with her son and daughter-in-law in California leaving behind her house and life in Pennsylvania. However, Harriet Beamer decides that she is going to do it her way and that includes shipping her salt and pepper shaker collection and her dog to California and taking public transportation across country. What she doesn’t count on are all the adventures that she will come her way!

Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus is the road trip to end all road trips. Traveling alone and insisting on seeing all the sights along the way, Harriet gets into some sticky situations and makes lots of friends as well. Her longest trip before this adventure was to the Jersey shore. Now, Harriet will discover different aspects of life across the United States.

I absolutely loved this book! It was easy to read and light hearted. I immediately warmed up to Harriet and understood her need to do something on her own. It took a lot of courage for Harriet to let go of her familiar surroundings and discover a whole new country! She decides to take the advice of a bus passenger and get herself a new Android phone complete with GPS. She is open to trying the new technology and it becomes a great help to her (she even names it “Amelia”). Her son has a difficult time letting his mother take this trip, but he finally comes to the realization that the trip is good for both of them.

About the Author:
Joyce Magnin is the author of five novels, including the popular and quirky Bright’s Pond series and the middle grade novel “Carrying Mason.” She is a writing instructor and frequent conference speaker. Joyce lives in Pennsylvania with her son, Adam, and their crazy cat, Mango, who likes to eat nachos.

Hunter Moon (Lupine Moon Series) by Cait Lavender

Bawling cattle tore Shelby Flint from her bed. With lawyer fees to pay in her struggle to keep her ranch from the clutches of her greedy cousins, she couldn’t afford the loss of even one calf. When she sees a large wolf circling her cows, she aims and fires.

While the wolf escapes, Shelby can’t seem to get away from her troubles when a marijuana grower sets up shop on her land, sabotaging her property and eventually coming after her. Adding to that, a handsome game warden is poking his nose into her business and working his way underneath her skin. Shelby will have to fight harder than she ever fought before to keep from losing heart and everything she ever loved.

Shelby is a great character!  She inherited land from her grandfather and is trying to keep the ranch going.  She meets Cash, a game warden and while she has feelings for him, she tries to push him away.  When a wolf keeps showing up at her house, it pulled me in and I had to find out the end to the mystery.   There is heat between Shelby and Cash without going over the top.  The beginning was a little slow, but after a while the speed really picked up and I couldn’t put it down.   I loved the new take on a western theme and can’t wait for the next installment!

Second Nature (Forces of Nature Book 2)

Second Nature is the second book in the Forces of Nature series by Elizabeth Sharp.  The first book, Natural Selection, is about Amelia Hoffman, a normal 15 year old girl who finds out her family isn’t her family when she hears her mother and father talking about who she really is. Amelia must then learn about herself and figure out a way to save everyone that she loves. In this book you find out that Amelia and her love interest Nathaniel are gaia and that her brother is powerful dijnn and her sister is a succubus (you’ll just have to read the book to get the full meaning of this!).

Second Nature continues the story of Amelia adding new characters and new supernatural powers! Amelia and Nate, though bonded are having their own difficulties and Amelia meets Dylan and starts to have feeling for him. In the meantime, a warlock named Peter is out to destroy Amelia and her family.

I really enjoyed both of these books. I love the supernatural beings and how they have to deal with their powers and the powers of others. Amelia makes a great strong character and her interactions with the other characters make for a very interesting story.

Second Nature (Forces of Nature Book 2)

Amelia Hoffman always knew she would be with Nathaniel Peplow forever, but after they bonded everything started to go wrong. Nate treats her like the enemy, her siblings are in danger, and an old threat grows closer. As Nate pulls away and Amelia’s burgeoning friendship with a handsome stranger blossoms, she worries she made the biggest mistake of her life. If sorting out her love life wasn’t enough, a new drug emerges that not only threatens the ones she loves, but seems to be part of something larger than she could ever imagine. Amelia’s new and old friends must work together to not only save themselves, but the whole world.

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Prophecy of the Flame by Lynn Hardy is definitely a gamer’s book! After signing up for a live role playing event, Rebecca takes on the character of Archmage Reba. Thrown together with four strangers, they find themselves transported to another world where they must fight evil and find their way back home.

I loved how these gamers suddenly find themselves in a real scenario. They must use the skills that they thought were only “make-believe” to help them stay alive and help mankind defeat the forces of evil. The funniest part of the book are the spells that they perform. Realizing that they must rhyme, they come up with some interesting combinations! The old meets new world makes for great interactions.

This is definitely a fun read!

Howard B. Wigglebottom is a rabbit who learns valuable lessons. In this tenth book in the series, Howard B Wigglebottom learns that winning isn’t everything. Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Sportsmanship: Winning Isn’t Everything tells how Howard learns that winning isn’t as important as doing your best and building team friendships. My son really enjoyed this book. This year, he was on a basketball team that only won one game all season. The coach encouraged the boys to try their best and have fun. While they were disappointed that they could not win more games, they had fun playing together. My son has known a few kids that act like Howard in the book. understood how Howard’s attitude could hurt, not help the team.

Right now, you can download a free poster about sportsmanship to help your children learn these values. Plus, you can find animated books and lessons and reflections dealing with bullying, listening and other important childhood topics.

The Shopping Duck is giving away one Howard B. Wigglebottom book to one lucky winner (open to US and Canada Residents Only)! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter:

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