Every year I write a  most anticipated books of the year post  but in the midst of this year I realised that it wasn't covering enough b...

Upcoming Picture Book Releases - Jan-March 2021

Monday, December 21, 2020 BookBairn 1 Comments



Every year I write a most anticipated books of the year post but in the midst of this year I realised that it wasn't covering enough books - I was missing out on so many good ones so I started writing seasonal ones (you can find the Summer , Autumn and Winter lists here). So I decided instead of doing a full 2021 list which inevitably would only cover until the summer anyway as there isn't much information about books later in the year, to just cover the first few months. This list is not exhaustive - it couldn't be as there are 1000s of new releases (I browsed about 800 before my eyes went loopy and I called it a day) - and I will no doubt have missed something out that I am really excited about but I've done my utmost to find books that I'm most excited to read early next year. Here they are:

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I adore illustrated non-fiction and think that it makes a wonderful gift for adults and children alike. I love learning new things and alway...

Factastic Non-Fiction Christmas Gift Guide

Friday, December 11, 2020 BookBairn 1 Comments

I adore illustrated non-fiction and think that it makes a wonderful gift for adults and children alike. I love learning new things and always turn to children's illustrated fiction when I am looking for a place to start as it gives you all the information you need in a beautiful format and without being overwhelming. It's also a great way to support your children in their passions - be in nature, vehicles, space, cookery, ballet, the list goes on. There's a non-fiction book for topic and therefore for everyone!

Before I share, I just want to say that there are many many great books out there but these are some of my favourites that I have discovered this year. It would be impossible to compile a fully comprehensive list so this is more of a highlights guide. If you want to see our gift guides from last year, or any of our other gift guides from this year you can find them all linked here. I've tried to include a variety of books so that there is something for everyone.


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I am a huge bookworm as you know so of course I think giving books at Christmas is the best gift you can give or receive! So I've compil...

Adult Bookworms Christmas Gift Guide

Wednesday, December 02, 2020 BookBairn 1 Comments

I am a huge bookworm as you know so of course I think giving books at Christmas is the best gift you can give or receive! So I've compiled a short list of some of my favourite reads from this year but I would say it's worth having a look at the gift guide I collated for readers 7+ because there are some great books for young readers that will also appeal to grown ups. 

Before I share, I just want to say that there are many many great books out there but these are some of my favourites that I have discovered this year. It would be impossible to compile a fully comprehensive list so this is more of a highlights guide. If you want to see our gift guides from last year, or any of our other gift guides from this year you can find them all linked here. I've tried to include a variety of books so that there is something for everyone.


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My bairns are aged 5 and 3 so I tend to focus on books for toddlers and little kids on the blog and on social media, but occasionally I come...

Fiction for Kids aged 7+ Christmas Gift Guide

Tuesday, December 01, 2020 BookBairn 1 Comments

My bairns are aged 5 and 3 so I tend to focus on books for toddlers and little kids on the blog and on social media, but occasionally I come across books for BookBairn to grow in to or books to save for later. I also really enjoy reading children's book for my own enjoyment and often find I like them more than adult fiction. So every year I compile these into a list of books for 'older readers'. The age range of these varies so I recommend you double-check the recommended ages over on the publisher website or on amazon because you know your young readers best as to what is appropriate for their reading.

Before I share, I just want to say that there are many many great books out there for young readers but these are some of our favourites that we have discovered this year. It would be impossible to compile a fully comprehensive list so this is more of a highlights guide. If you want to see our gift guides from last year, or any of our other gift guides from this year you can find them all linked here. I've tried to include a variety of books so that there is something for everyone.


1 comments:

   Books are such great gifts for the very littlest in the family as they tend to hold their interest longer (and have more longevity) than ...

Babies & Little Ones Christmas Gift Guide

Tuesday, November 24, 2020 BookBairn 1 Comments

  

Books are such great gifts for the very littlest in the family as they tend to hold their interest longer (and have more longevity) than toys. I've gathered a list of books that I think are perfect for babies and little ones to enjoy, not only now, but to grow with them. My bairns are 3 and 5 and they would have loved these books both as babies but they also still enjoy reading them now - making these books the gifts that really keep on giving!

I won't share any festive reads here as personally I prefer to give books that will last all year round but you can find my festive recommendations linked here. So if you do like to give festive books at Christmas time then please go check those out.

Before I share, I just want to say that there are many many great books out there for little readers but these are some of our favourites that we have discovered this year. It would be impossible to compile a fully comprehensive list so this is more of a highlights guide. If you want to see our gift guides from last year, or any of our other gift guides from this year you can find them all linked here. I've tried to include a variety of books so that there is something for everyone.



1 comments:

  It's that time of year again where Christmas shopping is mid-flow and I wanted to share with you some of our favourite picture books f...

Picture Book Christmas Gift Guide

Monday, November 23, 2020 BookBairn 1 Comments

 


It's that time of year again where Christmas shopping is mid-flow and I wanted to share with you some of our favourite picture books from this year that would make spectacular gifts for young readers. I'm starting with picture books because they are my favourites and therefore my forte but I will be compiling other lists too so keep an eye out for those. I've also been doing regular 'ask for a gift' on my Instagram stories where people have told me who they are shopping for and I've dug out a recommendation from our collection.

I won't share any festive reads here as personally I prefer to give books that will last all year round but you can find my festive recommendations linked here. So if you do like to give festive books at Christmas time then please go check those out.

Before I share, I just want to say that there are many many great books out there for little readers but these are some of our favourites that we have discovered this year. It would be impossible to compile a fully comprehensive list so this is more of a highlights guide. If you want to see our gift guides from last year, or any of our other gift guides from this year you can find them all linked here. I've tried to include a variety of books so that there is something for everyone.



1 comments:

Hope everyone is coping well with new restrictions, and using time to enjoy the little things like children's books! Just a quick note...

Kids love to Read 59 & Giveaway

Monday, November 16, 2020 BookBairn 1 Comments


Hope everyone is coping well with new restrictions, and using time to enjoy the little things like children's books! Just a quick note too to say there won't be a link-up in December - Laura and I find ourselves a bit busy next month, as I'm sure many of you are. But we will be back in 2021! (Wow! That seems crazy to say!)

Back to this month's link-up, if you share or review children's books or are raising a reader whilst writing a blog then our co-hosted monthly linky with  Laura's Lovely BlogKids Love to Read is a link-up to share blog posts written by other bloggers that star wonderful children's books. It's a great way to find new blogs to read and new book recommendations too, as well as invite people to come and read your own blog.

So if you write about your favourite children's books I would love it if you link-up your post! And I'm looking forward to reading them all!

Laura has also set up a Pinterest Board for Kids Love to Read, where she pins everyone’s posts featured, as well as lots of lovely bookish posts. If you would like to join as a co-contributor please message me. The more the merrier!

Last Month's Favourites

My favourite post last month came from Doing the Mummy Thing who reviewed a classic Halloween book - Funnybones! I guess it's a classic any time of year book really!

Laura's favourite came from Picture Book Perfect who shared a fantastic selection of Halloween reads - including the Room on the Broom slide book my bairns have been loving and a few that we've not read and will need to hunt down next year!





Linky Rules:
– Write about reading with children, share your love and your children’s love of books, what do you love to read together, how do you encouraging reading and books with your little or not so little ones? Books you love or book reviews.
– This Linky is open every 3rd Monday of the month for one week.
– Grab the Kids Love to Read badge and pop it in your post. It's linked at the end of the post for you.
– Use the #KLTR hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.
– Share the love – try and read & comment the host’s posts and on 2 other blogs listed on the Linky.
We look forward to reading your posts! And don't forget to enter the competition below!
Kim and Laura x

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Giveaway



We have a fabulous giveaway this month of Leap, Hare, Leap! by Dom Conlon & Anastasia Izlesou which has been nominated for the CILIP 2021 Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medals!
*Terms and conditions: Entries are open to UK residents. The competition closes on the the 15th December 2020. Winners will be announced on social media and contacted via email. If the winner does not respond to the email in two weeks, a new winner will be randomly chosen. Please allow extra time for prize delivery due to current pandemic restrictions. Host reserves the right to substitute the prize for a suitable alternative in case of problems with supply. No cash alternative available.

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   Every year I write a  most anticipated books of the year post  and I have loved doing updated seasonal ones for Summer and Autumn so no...

Upcoming Picture Book Releases - Winter 2020

Wednesday, November 04, 2020 BookBairn 1 Comments

  


Every year I write a most anticipated books of the year post and I have loved doing updated seasonal ones for Summer and Autumn so now it's time for a winter list! And that should see us through to next year's list! I haven't included any festive books on this list as I'm sure I'll cover them in due course over the coming months. This list is not exhaustive - it couldn't be as there are 100s of new releases - and I will no doubt have missed something out that I am really excited about but I've done my utmost to find books that I'm most excited to read this winter. Here they are:

1 comments:

It has been a whole month since I posted anything on my blog! That's a new record I think! Oh dear! But I have been very busy tacklin...

Kids Love to Read #58 & Giveaway

Monday, October 19, 2020 BookBairn 1 Comments


It has been a whole month since I posted anything on my blog! That's a new record I think! Oh dear! But I have been very busy tackling my leaning tower of Pisa style book review pile instead and quite honestly enjoying the new found freedom of having the bairns at school and nursery.

Back to this month's link-up, if you share or review children's books or are raising a reader whilst writing a blog then our co-hosted monthly linky with  Laura's Lovely BlogKids Love to Read is a link-up to share blog posts written by other bloggers that star wonderful children's books. It's a great way to find new blogs to read and new book recommendations too, as well as invite people to come and read your own blog.

So if you write about your favourite children's books I would love it if you link-up your post! And I'm looking forward to reading them all!

Laura has also set up a Pinterest Board for Kids Love to Read, where she pins everyone’s posts featured, as well as lots of lovely bookish posts. If you would like to join as a co-contributor please message me. The more the merrier!

Last Month's Favourites

My favourite post last month came from The Ish Mother who reviewed a new book all about rainbows. We have this one and it's fantastic as it really blends learning about the science of rainbows with a rhyming story! And the illustrations are fab too!

Laura's favourite came from Raisie Bay who shared a book about Kids Knitting, out this month which looks like it has lots of fun projects in it!





Linky Rules:
– Write about reading with children, share your love and your children’s love of books, what do you love to read together, how do you encouraging reading and books with your little or not so little ones? Books you love or book reviews.
– This Linky is open every 3rd Monday of the month for one week.
– Grab the Kids Love to Read badge and pop it in your post. It's linked at the end of the post for you.
– Use the #KLTR hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.
– Share the love – try and read & comment the host’s posts and on 2 other blogs listed on the Linky.
We look forward to reading your posts! And don't forget to enter the competition below!
Kim and Laura x

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Giveaway



We have a fabulous giveaway this month of The Snowman by Raymond Briggs - such a classic story that's perfect for winter reading! 

*Terms and conditions: Entries are open to UK residents. The competition closes on the the 15th November 2020. Winners will be announced on social media and contacted via email. If the winner does not respond to the email in two weeks, a new winner will be randomly chosen. Please allow extra time for prize delivery due to current pandemic restrictions. Host reserves the right to substitute the prize for a suitable alternative in case of problems with supply. No cash alternative available.

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I'm feeling all autumnal as I draft this post today - it's a bit cold and grey and I want to get our new fire on and cosy up with...

Kids Love to Read #57 & Giveaway

Monday, September 21, 2020 BookBairn 1 Comments


I'm feeling all autumnal as I draft this post today - it's a bit cold and grey and I want to get our new fire on and cosy up with a good book! And hope the bairns feel the same way!

Back to this month's link-up, if you share or review children's books or are raising a reader whilst writing a blog then our co-hosted monthly linky with  Laura's Lovely BlogKids Love to Read is a link-up to share blog posts written by other bloggers that star wonderful children's books. It's a great way to find new blogs to read and new book recommendations too, as well as invite people to come and read your own blog.

So if you write about your favourite children's books I would love it if you link-up your post! And I'm looking forward to reading them all!

Laura has also set up a Pinterest Board for Kids Love to Read, where she pins everyone’s posts featured, as well as lots of lovely bookish posts. If you would like to join as a co-contributor please message me. The more the merrier!

Last Month's Favourites

My favourite post last month came from Picture Book Perfect 123 whose shared a book that we love about making new friends. I reviewed in over on Instagram around the time that BookBairn started school as it's such a good one for little ones who are learning to make new friends, particularly in a school environment.

Laura's favourite came from The Next Best Thing to Mummy who shared a book of First Aid Skills for Children - an important topic that looks like it is explored really well in this book!





Linky Rules:
– Write about reading with children, share your love and your children’s love of books, what do you love to read together, how do you encouraging reading and books with your little or not so little ones? Books you love or book reviews.
– This Linky is open every 3rd Monday of the month for one week.
– Grab the Kids Love to Read badge and pop it in your post. It's linked at the end of the post for you.
– Use the #KLTR hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.
– Share the love – try and read & comment the host’s posts and on 2 other blogs listed on the Linky.
We look forward to reading your posts! And don't forget to enter the competition below!
Kim and Laura x

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Giveaway



We have a fabulous giveaway this month oPress Here Board Book Edition by Herve Tullet - one that we have the hardback edition of and love but this board book would be a super sturdy version to explore with young readers.

*Terms and conditions: Entries are open to UK residents. The competition closes on the the 13th October 2020. Winners will be announced on social media and contacted via email. If the winner does not respond to the email in two weeks, a new winner will be randomly chosen. Please allow extra time for prize delivery due to current pandemic restrictions. Host reserves the right to substitute the prize for a suitable alternative in case of problems with supply. No cash alternative available.

Grab the Button:





Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML

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  Dear Earth Now Under the Same Sky We Are Together Not Lost Everybody Counts Kindness Grows Together Here We Are What We See in the Stars T...

Book Poetry - Dear Earth

Wednesday, September 16, 2020 BookBairn 1 Comments

 


Dear Earth
Now
Under the Same Sky
We Are Together
Not Lost
Everybody Counts
Kindness Grows
Together
Here We Are
What We See in the Stars
The Garden of Hope

1 comments:

Oi! Have you seen the latest edition of the Oi series by Kes Grey and Jim Field?! We've been looking forward to this one a lot (it featu...

Oi Aardvark Blog Tour

Monday, September 07, 2020 BookBairn 3 Comments

Oi! Have you seen the latest edition of the Oi series by Kes Grey and Jim Field?! We've been looking forward to this one a lot (it featured on my exciting upcoming picture book releases list last month).

It's hard to dampen the enthusiasm that Frog has for making sure that everyone is sitting on the right spot. And now, after starring in FIVE (plus a mini world book day edition) he's back and creating a book of his very own. He's called it The All-New Alphabetty Botty Book and it's for all the animals that he hasn't helped to find a place to sit yet. And don't fear Cat and Dog are back too - helping in their uniquely hilarious ways! And can they help Frog to find a creature for ever letter of the alphabet? Dog enthusiastically thinks of course Frog can - he's a genius! Cat is less-supportive quite gleefully looking forward to Q and X and Y!



So who stars in this fantastic new cacophony of creature?

Well, Aardvarks of course!


Eels and Elks and BookBairn's favourite page: Finches!


And Jays and Jerboas - I know! What's a Jerboa?*


A fantastic double page spread of P creatures including - Possums, Pigeons, Pangolins (my favourite!) and Pandas.


All the way through to Zebras! With which you'll see frog takes a little poetic license to find a rhyme!


Surely, that's them all done? Until Dog points out the Zillyzinkzikkers who sit on frilly pink knickers. The what?!


Another brilliantly bonkers, laugh out loud rhyming rollicking picture book that are brought so hilariously to life by the fantastic bright and bold illustrations!


But there's more than just fun at play with these books - they are a fresh and engaging way to teach phonics, making learning letters fun and funny for the whole family (especially grown ups). Rhyme and playing with rhyme is also an invaluable pre-reading skill that children won't even spot that they are learning as they will be so busy giggling. I cannot recommend this series highly enough!

In fact I've raved about it before back in a blog post in 2017 (in fact it was my Most Anticipated Picture Book of the Year that year) and I'm sure I'll be raving about it many years down the line too! I've been lucky enough to meet both Kes and Jim in the past so our book Oi Frog book has a lovely signed and illustrated personal message - "Oi Lottie, sit on a potty!" and I've never met a man as patient as Jim who must have been signing and drawing for at least two hours that day and he still had smiles and ink left for me at the end of the day! 

If you're interested in this book there is going to be a whole week of A-Z stops on the tour (we are B!) and I've popped the banner with the details below.


Oi! Happy reading!
Kim and the bairns - sitting comfortably surrounded by books! 

*Jerboas are hopping desert rodents found in Arabia, Northern Africa and Asia.

Disclaimer: We were sent a copy of Oi Aardvark for review purposes by the publishers as part of the blog tour. Words and opinions are my own. If you click on the title or image of the book you will be sent to amazon.co.uk using an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase on amazon.co.uk, I will receive a small sum (around 20-70p per book) from amazon at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our 'For Our Readers' section.

3 comments:

Worry. Kids have a lot going on at the moment and returning to school next week might be daunting for some.  BookBairn is, like me, a natura...

Picture Books about Worry

Monday, August 31, 2020 BookBairn 2 Comments


Worry.
Kids have a lot going on at the moment and returning to school next week might be daunting for some.  BookBairn is, like me, a natural worrier and I suspect she overthinks things a lot. So these books have been a great support for her over the past few weeks and I would highly recommend them to anyone who has a child who might be a bit anxious. They a brilliant, funny, caring, gentle, and full of ideas for building resilience and asking for help as well as understanding it’s ok to not be ok. And they look great on a shelf together!

The Worrysaurus by Rachel Bright & Chris Chatterton



I know that BookBairn isn’t an adventurous personality and her tendency to worry about what will happen sometimes stops her from doing things like going down the big slide, or going on fairground rides. So I know she understands the butterflies in the tummy of the Worrysaurus. It’s a beautiful day and the Worrysaurus has planned a special picnic. Really planned it. Every eventuality. But it isn’t too long into his adventure that the butterflies start to creep in. What if he doesn’t have enough to eat? What if he gets lost? Or trips and falls? What if it starts to rain? Fortunately he gets some advice from his mummy, and puts into place his strategy for calming his anxiety so that he can get back to having fun. This is a charming rhyming story which is light hearted and approachable for little worriers. The illustrations are bright and the Worrysaurus so adorable and lovable that he’s bound to enter your hearts. Definitely a new favourite in our family.

Ruby's Worry by Tom Percival



Ruby is worried. She has a worry that follows her around everywhere. She tries to ignore it but everyday it gets bigger. No one else can see Ruby's worry so Ruby tried pretend that she can't see it either. But the Worry is always there - stopping her from doing the things that she loves. Ruby worries about the Worry. which only makes it worse. Until one day Ruby notices a boy sitting alone who looks exactly like she feels - sad. And then she notices something hovering next to him. Could it be that he has a Worry too? And maybe they can find a way to shrink their worries together. This is a reassuring and sensitive book to open a conversation with children about worries. But it's also a lovely story about about friendship. Beautifully illustrated and with very clever use of colours, this is a great read to enjoy together.


The Worry Box by Suzanne Chiew & Sean Julian



This lovely story stars Murray Bear, who has a lot of worries. So many, in fact, that it's stopping him from exploring and going on adventures with his friends. With the help of his sister, Milly, Murray makes a special box to keep all his worries in and sets out to explore, adventure and make new friends. With soft illustrations and adorable characters that children will relate to, this is a brilliant story to encourage children to talk about their worries and fears. A much-needed book for classroom and school libraries!

My Monster and Me by Nadiya Hussain & Ella Bailey



This picture book places telling someone, about sharing your “monster”, right at the heart of taking control of your worries. This is the story of a little boy whose worry monster follows him everywhere he goes. It’s there when he gets dressed, when he plays with his toys, it gets in the way of him playing with his friends. But his monster is very good at hiding from his family so his parents sand older siblings don’t notice that it is there. But when he opens up to his grandmother, there is a big change in monster. And whilst monster might never go away completely it becomes so small that the boy can carry him around in his pocket. And if ever it feel like getting out of that pocket he knows how to make it go away. His monster is part of him, and it’s natural to have some worries but with support he can make sure his monster behaves. Beautifully illustrated, and with monster that looks more playful and mischievous than frightening, this book is a powerful tool to show children that they needn’t be afraid of their worry monster but they shouldn’t let it boss them around. 

A Little Bit Worried by Ciara Gavin & Tim Warnes



The main character in this is perfect for children coping with anxiety or struggling with new experiences and they way the story is constructed it will also give empathy to those who are more confident and outgoing. It’s the story of Weasel who is caught in a big, angry storm, so he builds a fortress to hide in. But inside his fortress one day, he discovers Mole, who loves to play in the wind and splash in the rain. And Mole helps Weasel to overcome his fears and find joy, whatever the weather! I love the way that this book isn’t dismissive of those self-protective behaviour we have but rather encourages a more mindful approach to the fearful things we can’t control. The illustrations bring to life the characters through a clever use of expressions and the clever use of the changing weather to portray the changing mood and emotions of the character is a subtle way to share with children that after the rain comes the sunshine.

The Problem with Problems by Rachel Rooney & Zehra Hicks



Have you ever met a problem? Problems are creatures. They come in all sizes. Some even wear disguises! Each one is different but all of them want to cause trouble. They certainly can be tricky creatures. But the key is to keep quiet calm, don’t let them trouble you. There are so many things you can do to send them on their way! This lovely picture book brings to life ‘problems’ in a way that very young children can understand and helps them explore the problems with problems and the solutions! This is an ingenious book which has very cleverly personified problems in a way that makes them feel approachable, ignorable, solvable. The illustrations are bright and cheerful! Making you feel bright and cheerful as you read and choose to tackle your problems head on. A wonderful addition to your bookshelf and a great conversation opener about children’s problems and mental health!

Almost Anything by Sophy Henn



This is a wonderful story about self-confidence and stars a whole cast of woodland creatures. George, the rabbit, thinks he can’t paint, bowl, dance or skate like his friends and he’s too afraid to try. Bear makes him a magic hat to give him the courage to try and when he does it turns out he can skate, and dance and read and a whole host of other things! But then George loses his hat, and his confidence with it. How will he be able to join in with his friends? If he can't do all the new things he has learned how will he have fun? So Bear tells him the truth: the magic didn’t come from the hat, it came from inside. Now doesn’t that sound like a magic picture book? When you feel like everyone else can do something but you can’t it can leave you feeling lonely and left out. And in this book little ones will see that all they need is a little bit of confidence to try, resilience if they fail, and friends to help them find their own magic to succeed. And if all else fails - a paper hat might do the trick!


Sometimes I am Worried endorsed by Dr. Janet Rose and illustrated by Marie Paruit


This fantastic book is full of tactile lift the flaps and turn wheels show what it feels like inside our bodies when we are worried and how our body might react as well as things we can do to ease that discomfort. I love how kid-centric these books are and how direct and to the point - just here is what it’s like to be worried and here is what it might feel like inside. They can lift the flaps, slide the tabs and turn the wheel to explore what a worry is, why they might worry and how they can stop their worries from becoming too big and we love the sliding scale on the final page! On the cover it says “for sharing and talking” and this is just perfect for exactly that!


I hope you find these supportive for your little worriers and that they start a conversation about your bairns' worried. If you are looking for more of our very favourite books to support children's mental health check out my Amazon shop and click on the section for Children's Books about Mental Health.

Happy reading!
Kim and the bairns x



Disclaimer: We were sent some of these books free for review purposes by the publishers. Words and opinions are my own. If you click on the title or image of the book you will be sent to amazon.co.uk using an affiliate link. This means that if you choose to purchase on amazon.co.uk, I will receive a small sum (around 20-70p per book) from amazon at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our 'For Our Readers' section.


 

2 comments: