![]() ![]() She is just beginning to find the kind of kinship she feared would never be an option for someone like her – someone different – when it turns out there are still more layers of secrets than she’d realized. Nowhere House turns out to be magical in many ways for Mika, though. Three little witches in one space should be very dangerous indeed, especially because (like young skunks!) they’re not yet in full control of their powers. ![]() Mika struggles to balance her own strong desire for companionship, community, even family, and her passion for her work, with her grudging respect for Primrose’s Rules. So she’s alarmed to be caught out by a strange offer to tutor three young witches at a mysterious estate called Nowhere House. As a relief valve for her enthusiasm for witchiness, she releases videos on her YouTube channel in which she brews potions and casts spells: it’s not meant to be taken seriously, of course. Primrose is the keeper of the Rules for witches: in a nutshell, witches live in secret and in minimal contact with one another, because witches together mean too much magical dangerously combining in small spaces. She was raised by a quickly-turning-over series of tutors and nannies, who were in turn employed by an elder witch named Primrose. ![]() ![]() In the opening pages we meet Mika Moon, a young Indian-born witch living in modern-day England. I no longer remember where I got this recommendation, but it was a *great* one. ![]()
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![]() ![]() ![]() The main characters were decently developed, although I was disappointed that some of the supporting characters were left somewhat flat. I personally would have preferred that she tackle a few rather than try to introduce me, as the reader, to a wide variety of issues. While the idea behind the societal critique is a good one, it barely grazes the surface and issues were never thoroughly explored - although author Deanna Miller did incorporate a lot of them. This easy-to-read book provides an interesting commentary on human interactions, albeit a very shallow look at that society. Tristan manages, at great risk to himself, to reach the human plane and convince Hesper to return home in an effort to discover the real solution to the planes' troubles. She assumes the life of a high school girl with no memory of her previous life. Hesper and Tristan are forced to part when Hesper is sent to the human plane to save the parallel planes of existence from destruction. ![]() The Alula's and Mentaurs are at odds with one another and each group is trying to prevent an alien race from invading the planet. Hesper the Alula and her best friend Tristan are involved in exciting times on Hesper's planet, known as the Alula Plane. ![]() ![]() ![]() For more information about how you can contribute to relief and recovery efforts in the Philippines, click here, here, and here). Over the weekend, PND asked Jessica Alexander, author of Chasing Chaos: My Decade In and Out of Humanitarian Aid, to rate emergency relief efforts in the Phillipines, what Americans can do to help, and whether she thinks climate change is contributing to the destructiveness of weather-related natural disasters. The ferocious intensity of Haiyan also led experts and officials in the Philippines and elsewhere to connect the storm to climate change - a contention likely to be debated for years to come. ![]() As has been the case in many recent natural disasters, aid and humanitarian agencies responded quickly and with the best of intentions but were stymied by sub-standard and/or damaged infrastructure and logistical bottlenecks. The destruction that ensued was catastrophic: more than 3,900 people killed and tens of thousands missing, half a million homes destroyed, and millions of people displaced. ![]() ![]() When Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the central Philippines on November 7, the storm's winds of 190 mph-plus unofficially made it the strongest cyclone ever to make landfall. ![]() ![]() Learn how Snowden was able to steal and smuggle documents from the most secure organization in the world, how he began a career in hacking as a young teen, and how exposing the government’s top-secret documents changed his life. Read about the man who became a spy turned whistleblower through his candid memoir about his journey working up the ranks of NSA. With the government tracking our every move and prying into our private lives, Snowden felt moved to expose the secrets of the system he helped build. ![]() Edward Snowden, the man who risked everything to expose the US government’s system of mass surveillance, reveals for the first time the story of his life, including how he helped to build that system and what motivated him to try to bring it down. In 2013, twenty-nine-year-old Edward Snowden shocked the world when he revealed the United States system of collecting every single phone call, email, and text message from its citizens. Permanent Record: A Memoir of a Reluctant Whistleblower. government’s system of mass surveillance. Learn the story of the man who risked everything to expose the U.S. ![]() ![]() presents a summary of Permanent Record by Edward Snowden:ĭiscover how Edward Snowden exposed the sophisticated top-secret program that pried into the private lives of every American citizen. ![]() ![]() ![]() It delves deep into the science of parallel universes and depicts a long list of Nora’s regrets, with which many readers may be able to relate with, and arouses strong feelings of empathy towards Nora. Yet, this novel is themed almost entirely around psychology and the way we perceive our own existence. ![]() Its snappy chapters and condensed number of characters makes the story easy to comprehend and is a fast-paced read – perfect for those who aren’t excited by extreme philosophical literature. The Midnight Library does exactly that, but is written in a less intense way that makes the heavy themes of suicide and depression easier to digest. Matt Haig is a master of producing pieces of non-fiction that promote self-acceptance and mental wellbeing. It is a moving, thought-provoking, and sometimes comical tale that is set to inspire its audience to radiate a more positive approach towards our own lives. We follow Nora Seed as she enters The Midnight Library after trying to take her own life and embarks on a journey through the infinite possibilities of what her life could’ve been. Best known for writing self-help books, which aim to destigmatise mental health, Haig disguises similar messaging with the genre of fantasy and adventure in this novel. “The only way to learn is to live.” That is one of the many life lessons that has been resonating within me ever since stepping into Matt Haig’s fictional world of The Midnight Library. ![]() ![]() ![]() With a novelist’s aptitude for character, detail, and pace, he brought the sweep of a distant civilization to life. When he started writing in the 1960s, the American eye was not on China. His gift was to blend scrupulous archival research with literary flair to create narratives that illuminate the vibrancy of human lives in a foreign land. Galvanized at first by the idea of China in the 17 th century, he went on to write 14 books that spanned the entirety of modern Chinese history, among them “The Search for Modern China” (1990). ![]() Spence transformed and popularized the study of China in the United States and across the world. Levin, president of Yale from 1993 to 2013, spoke of him as “a towering figure, a scholar of unique insight and imagination.” ![]() President Peter Salovey, noting the community’s loss, called him “unsurpassed as scholar and teacher,” and Richard C. 25 at home in West Haven, Connecticut of complications from Parkinson’s disease. Jonathan Spence ’65 Ph.D., Sterling Professor Emeritus of History, whose scholarship shaped the field of China studies for half a century, died Dec. ![]() ![]() ![]() Along the way, he interviews dozens of experts to explore the fascinating psychology and science behind the benefits of becoming an adult beginner. What he doesn’t expect is finding himself having rapturous experiences singing Spice Girls songs in an amateur choir, losing games of chess to eight-year-olds, and dodging scorpions at a surf camp in Costa Rica. He tackles five main skills (and picks up a few more along the way), choosing them for their difficulty to master and their distinct lack of career marketability-chess, singing, surfing, drawing, and juggling. Inspired by his young daughter’s insatiable need to know how to do almost everything, and stymied by his own rut of mid-career competence, Tom Vanderbilt begins a year of learning purely for the sake of learning. Why do so many of us stop learning new skills as adults? Are we afraid to fail? Have we forgotten the sheer pleasure of being a beginner? Or is it simply a fact that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? ![]() ![]() Cold War, the open yet restricted rivalry that developed after World War II between the communist states and capitalist states. The principal belligerents were the Axis powers - Germany, Italy, and Japan against the Allies - France, Great Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union andģ. World War II that arose from the political takeover of Germany by Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party, Italian Fascism, and Japanese militarism. World War I that followed after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary with Germany and Austria-Hungary on the one hand, and Russia, France, and Great Britain on the otherĢ. ![]() Through the lives of five fictional families, he recounts the most important historical events of the twentieth century namely,ġ. ![]() Reading the Century trilogy is akin to taking a history lesson - only far more interesting than anything that comes out of a classroom! The author takes the reader on a vivid journey back in time to the events preceding World War I. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Mickey Bolitar Series In Order of Reading and Publication Myron Bolitar Books In Order of Reading and Publication New Harlan Coben Books I Will Find You, 2023 The books are listed in publication order and chronological order. Without further ado here are the Harlan Coben books in reading order for his popular two series, and his chilling standalone thrillers. The author also started the Wilde series, and has several standalone novels, which can be read in any order you choose. Last Updated on JanuReading the Harlan Coben books in order entails picking up the author’s popular Myron Bolitar starting with Deal Breaker, and the young adult Mickey Bolitar series, followed by Win’s own story in a new series titled Windsor Horne Lockwood III, focusing on Myron’s best friend, Win.
![]() The author of Owl Moon wrote On Bird Hill, On Duck Pond, and On Gull Beach for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Paul Galdone is a favorite for these types of classic tales - see also The Little Red Hen. ![]() The simple line illustrations are perfection.Ī charming story about Babushka, who wants to enter an egg-decorating contest (in traditional Ukrainian style), and an injured goose she cares for named Rechenka, who plays her own part in the contest.Ī classic tale about some gullible bird friends (Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, and Turkey Lurky) that get outsmarted by a Fox. A fun tale containing the best kind of human-animal friendships. Mallard as they figure out how best to care for their 8 ducklings in the bustling city of Boston. ![]() Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskeyįollow Mr. Owl Moon is easily one of my favorite children’s books, not just favorite bird book. Owl stories always seem to contain a bit of magic and this one does not disappoint. Happy birding! Bird Narratives for ChildrenĪ beautiful and simple tale of a young girl who goes “owling” with her father one night in winter. At the end of the post I did list out a few bird books that are out there which I do not care for, and why. There is no book on this list I (and my kids) don’t enjoy. ![]() Nonfiction books are divided up by learning category (e.g. Within each of those lists I also created sub-categories and a few favorites based on age level of the child. Below I provided separate lists for fiction and nonfiction books about birds for children. ![]() |