Making Reading More Magical for Little Ones

While I don't have any kids of my own, I know that many of my readers do. To this day, I credit the exposure I had to books as a child as the reason I am such a voracious reader today. I know that many of my friends' children sneer at reading when they could be playing video games instead. But here are a few ways to combat that and help make reading a more magical experience for the children in your life.

We all know the magic of delving deep into a new novel that is ready to test our emotions, senses and thoughts. Escaping to another enchanted world that is quite different from your own everyday life is simply unexplainable. The excitement of reading a new book will never get old to you, but what about the younger generation? Perhaps you have younger siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews or children of you own. You want to pass down the baton and let them know about the awesome adventures they can have by picking up a book. In the modern age children are becoming more and more enticed by gadgets, television and social media, but whatever happened to reading a good old fashioned book? The following ideas will help you to set a great example to youngsters in your life so that they can enjoy the magic of reading throughout their lives.

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Audio Books

It can be quite a battle trying to get youngsters to read nowadays, not only because their video games are more appealing, but because some are struggling with learning difficulties. Children with dyslexia find it extremely overwhelming to look at a whole bunch of small words on a page. By introducing books on tape to these kids who are struggling to read, we can introduce books without the stress. They can follow along in their own time and enjoy the true meaning behind the story without getting frustrated. Reading should be accessible to everybody, especially those with special needs. This is an excellent way to give everyone the opportunity to get into brilliant books.

Choose Books For Their Age Range

Kids can easily become disengaged with books because they are too mature or babyish for them. Make sure you’re choosing a subject that is appropriate for their age group so that they have a better chance of getting drawn into the story. Their school will be able to provide you with book that are appropriate for their reading level and age group too.

Lead By Example

If we are all sitting around on our smartphones and browsing Netflix every evening, what do we expect the younger generation to do? When it comes to getting your kids to read more it is important to lead by example. When you sit down to read for half an hour, encourage the little ones around you to do the same. You will soon get into a routine and reading will become an everyday habit for all involved.

It is sad, but true that many people are misunderstanding the magic of reading, especially in the younger generations. Making reading accessible to everybody and enjoyable is one of the most important arts-related matters our society faces at the moment. So spread the joy of books and make reading more enticing to the people around you. The more of us that pick up a book, the more will soon follow suit. Everyone deserves to laugh, cry, and become absorbed into another fairy tale land within a story, so it’s time to make that possible right now.

Disclaimer: Partnered post that may contain affiliate links.

The Truth About Happily Ever After by Karole Cozzo

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

If there was ever a book written just for me, it's this one. I was so excited when Karole reached out to me asking if I wanted a copy of her book, The Truth About Happily Ever After, because it sounded like the perfect book for me: a fluffy contemporary filled with Disney-inspired theme park magic. And it absolutely was. I do want to put a trigger warning on this for eating disorders, however.

Alyssa plays Cinderella at the famous Enchanted Dominion theme park. She loves her job, her long-distance boyfriend is about to come down for the summer, and everything seems perfect. Until suddenly it isn't. As Alyssa's fairy tale fantasy starts crashing down around her, she has to decide what is more important: the illusion of that fairy tale, or the joy that real life can bring.

Being a former cast member, this book spoke to me on so many levels! Even though I wasn't a character performer, I had many friends that were, and I experienced so many of the things mentioned in this book. While it definitely isn't 100% accurate in terms of cast member life, privileges, etc. it was very close. And I will say that the parts about character performers being under extremely intense scrutiny for appearance, weight, etc. is absolutely true. I really identified with Alyssa. From her love for Lilly Pulitzer and her sorority sisters (proud Alpha Gamma Delta alum here!), to her unwavering optimism and desire to stop at nothing to get what she has her heart set on, I saw myself in her from the very beginning. I loved watching her grow throughout the story, and just about cried at the ending!

I do think I would classify this as New Adult rather than Young Adult, since the main character and all her friends are college students rather than in high school, and there's a decent amount of sexual innuendo. This is actually great because I don't think there are nearly enough NA books and we need more!

I just couldn't put this one down, and flew through it as fast as my schedule would allow. This book was sugary sweet, and I know I will turn to Alyssa and the Enchanted Dominion again and again when I need a fun book to get me out of a reading slump.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Thanks so much to Karole Cozzo for sending me a copy of this magical read! Be sure to pick up a copy!

Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

So the irony with this book was that it arrived in a hurricane. This book about no water was physically soaked through by a tremendous rain storm. After several rounds with a blow dryer and placing it under a pile of heavy stuff to flatten out for a few months, I was finally able to get to Dry, a YA dystopian by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman!

In Dry, water has become a scarcity, and panic ensues when people realize that it is no longer readily available. Riots break out, and friends and families turn on each other as days go by. When Alyssa's parents set off to try to find water and don't return, Alyssa has to take control of the situation to ensure that she and her little brother survive.

Unfortunately I did not love this one. I think the Scythe series wrecked it for me, since that series was so good and I didn't think this one matched it in quality. Page after page I found myself cringing at the decisions these kids made. Many plot points in this book did not seem plausible to me at all, and overall it was more annoying than entertaining. I was pretty happy to be finished when it was over. 

I do think the concept was really good, and definitely something we could see happen in our lifetime. I also thought this was an interesting discourse on human nature, our survival instincts, and how we as a society handle disaster. But that wasn't enough to save the rating from the poor characters and plot line.

Also, this book made me hella thirsty.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars

Thanks so much to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman! This YA dystopian is out now!

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

This YA contemporary was hugely popular about a year or so ago I think, but I never got around to reading it even though I had a copy. Lately I've been gravitating towards trying to alternate quick, fluffy reads with heavier thrillers, so I knew this one would be a good choice. What I did not know, however, is how much I would actually love this one. There is a big trigger warning on this book for suicide and suicidal thoughts that I do want to mention.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia follows teenager Eliza Mirk. On the surface, she appears to be a regular teenage girl. She hates school, she tends to keep to herself, and she spends all her time online. But the truth is that she is secretly the creator of a hugely popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. When Eliza comes face to face with a Monstrous Sea superfan and fanfiction writer in the new boy at her school, she is faced with the decision of whether or not to tell him who she really is.

This book was so amazing! I was invested in Eliza and her life from the very beginning. I loved the concept of her webcomic and getting to see snippets of the art and story throughout the book. But more importantly, I really appreciated how this book tackled mental illness. Eliza struggled with anxiety, and later panic attacks. Another main character also had some struggles that I can't detail too much without spoilers. The book also handled the issue of how intense online communities can be, and the pressure that online creators (and even just creators in general) face. 

If you have ever been part of a fandom, you will enjoy this read. If you've ever thought your are a loner and spend too much time online (*raises hand*), you will enjoy this read. If you love YA contemporaries with adorable romances and impossible-to-not-root-for characters, you will enjoy this read. I absolutely can't wait to pick up more of Zappia's work now. And there is even a serial novel highlighted in this book, The Children of Hypnos, that Zappia wrote that can be found online. This was a fantastic book, and I can definitely see myself revisiting it!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

I'm sad, because I haven't had a book let me down this much in a while. Recently I read and reviewed Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser and absolutely adored it, so I couldn't wait to jump into this one. Unfortunately, this domestic drama fell unbelievably flat for me. 

Best friends Molly and Liza are trying to keep their friendship going after Liza moved away to Chicago, so they set up a Skype date to catch up. When Molly steps out during the call to check on her child, Liza sees a masked figure enter the house. After a frantic call to the police, she is reassured it's nothing, and has the door slammed in her face after driving all night to check on her friend. Was Liza imagining the whole thing? Why is Molly giving her the cold shoulder? What is Molly hiding, and will their friendship ever be the same again?

For me, this book dragged from almost the beginning. After the masked figure incident, the plot slowed down to a snail's pace. It had such promise at the beginning, but jumped the shark early on. There were way too many side stories to keep track of, and I didn't find myself invested in the characters at all (except maybe Liza's love life). I actually dreaded picking up this book in the evenings because I didn't want to read it, but I felt like I owed it to both the book and the author to finish it. I literally screamed "ARE YOU KIDDING ME" at the reveal at the end, because I couldn't believe I wasted so much time for that ending. 

I know, I'm rarely this scathing in reviews. I adore more books than not, and I rarely dislike one enough to give it one star (although I have had a few 1 star reviews on this blog). This read seems like a novice attempt at a novel when compared to Not That I Could Tell. Unfortunately, I had no other option here when it came to rating.

Overall Rating: 1 out of 5 Stars

Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this read! Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser is out now.

Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

Happy Valentine's Day, loves!

This was another OwlCrate book that just sat around for a while, but after a few intense and heavy reads, I wanted to pick up something fluffy. Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills follows Claudia, a high school student who gets roped into helping with the school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream after accidentally overhearing something she shouldn't have. Throughout the story, Claudia has to learn how to deal with change and adapt to it, learn to build new friendships, and let go of the feeling that she is not worthy of love.

This book was absolutely the light and fluffy book I was hoping for. It read extremely quickly, the plot was easy to follow but still engaging, and overall I thought the story was really cute! There was an intense part about a baby being born prematurely, so take that into consideration if that may be a trigger for you. 

This was full of nerd content (think MMORPGs), the perfect bromance, plenty of Shakespeare, unlikely friendships, boy band love, f/f romance, and so many other adorable themes. I loved every minute I spent with this delightful book. There were a few times the main characters were a little annoying or clueless, but hey, they're teenagers. It wouldn't be realistic if they weren't!

While I've seen a few of Emma Mills' books before, this is the first I ever read. It definitely won't be the last. And look at that cover! Mine is slightly different since it's the OwlCrate exclusive edition, but the covers of all her books are so beautifully detailed and textured you can't help but be drawn to them.

Did this book change my life? No. Did it deliver exactly what I wanted? Absolutely. It's not groundbreaking or super unique, but I can definitely see myself revisiting this one, and I can't say that for a lot of books. And for that, the high rating is deserved in my opinion.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

When I first heard about this book, I wrote it off as not being my thing. I'll be honest, I don't read a ton of fantasy. I like books I can read quickly, and I've found that a lot of fantasy is too heavy and takes a long time to get through. I don't typically like historical fiction either. But I heard some really great things about this book so I decided to give it a try. The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi is basically National Treasure, set in France, plus magic.

It's nearing the turn of the century, and Severin is hungry. He's hungry for the House he has been stripped of, and will stop at nothing to earn his deserved title of heir to House Vanth. He, along with his friends Tristan, Enrique, Laila, and Zofia, perform countless heists in the hopes of setting Severin back in his rightful place. But one heist goes badly wrong, and now Severin finds himself locked in a deal with the patriarch of House Nyx, the flashy Hypnos, in order to save his friends. 

I really enjoyed this read! There were heists and treasure, codes and riddles. I loved the different points of view of Severin and the other members of his team. It had great minority representation that was done extremely well. I really enjoyed the comic relief that Hypnos provided. I also was a fan of the fact that the romances in this book were not at all the main story line, and that there was some really good and varied representation.

I REALLY appreciated that this story actually wrapped things up! Yes, this appears to be the first in a trilogy, but so often books end with a major event and they're over. No discussing how it impacted the characters, or the events following. This one actually provided what I felt was a fully developed ending, showing how each character was impacted and behaved as time progressed. I understand the importance of a cliffhanger to keep a reader hooked on a series, but this is proof that you don't have to have one to keep a reader's interest. I can't wait for book two!

But as much as I liked all of those things, something still felt...off maybe? There were some parts I had to drag through that I felt lacked depth and detail. Things didn't always tie together well. I really can't put my finger more specifically what was lacking or what felt wrong, but I just couldn't bring myself to give this a full five stars.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib

Cover Art Courtesy of St. Martin's Press

I have not read a book this captivating in a long time. The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib is a haunting tale of eating disorders that follows Anna, a 26-year-old woman with anorexia. 

About the Book:

Yara Zgheib’s poetic and poignant debut novel is a haunting portrait of a young woman’s struggle with anorexia on an intimate journey to reclaim her life.  

The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound.

Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day.

Every bite causes anxiety.  Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.

My Review:

This book was so engrossing that I just couldn't put it down. Told in present day mixed with flashbacks and patient medical reports, the story was hauntingly beautiful. It told the real story of anorexia, and really showed how eating disorders impact the families and loved ones of those that have them.

I absolutely LOVED that this read tackled eating disorders in grown women. So much fiction surrounding eating disorders focuses on teenagers/young adults, and while that population is definitely the most at-risk, adults do still experience eating disorders. It also did not at all glamorize eating disorders, as I've seen some fiction tend to do.

I flew through this story. I absolutely devoured every word of Anna's journey, and became so invested in not only her recovery, but the recoveries of all the girls at 17 Swann Street. It takes a lot for a book to make me emotional, but this one really did. I experienced a full range of emotions while reading, from compassion and understanding, to excitement and hope, to utter despair depending on what was happening. I do suspect this book could be very triggering for someone that is currently dealing with or has dealt with an eating disorder in the past. I will put a trigger warning on it for suicide as well.

Photo Courtesy of St. Martin's Press

About the Author:

Yara Zgheib is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University and a PhD in International Affairs in Diplomacy from Centre D'études Diplomatiques et Stratégiques in Paris. She is fluent in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish. Yara is a writer for several US and European magazines, including The Huffington Post, The Four Seasons Magazine, A Woman’s Paris, The Idea List, and Holiday Magazine. She writes on culture, art, travel, and philosophy on her blog, "Aristotle at Afternoon Tea" (http://www.aristotleatafternoontea.com/).

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this beautifully haunting read and for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour. The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib is out TODAY, February 5th, so be sure to pick up a copy! You can purchase the book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Indie Bound, or Powell's. 

The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

At first glance this book doesn't look like much, and it might be hard to guess what it's even about, but it quickly sucks you in. The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth follows three moms in the perfect neighborhood, who seem to have it all together. But you soon realize that Fran is hiding a secret. Ange is trying to uncover one. And Essie doesn't know which way is up most days. So when single, childless Isabelle moves in, eyebrows are raised and the women begin to obsess over her to distract themselves from their own issues.

I absolutely did not see the twist coming in this one. Even though this really isn't a thriller per se, there is a huge reveal at the end. Everything you thought was playing out was actually something completely different entirely. Some of the subject matter is definitely heavy, including postpartum depression and infidelity. 

I appreciated getting the perspectives from all the women, in addition to the flashbacks. They were all relatable in different ways, and I really felt for them all at different points. 

I did think a few parts of the book were unrealistic, especially when it came to things like hospital security. I honestly can't comprehend how I would have reacted to the new knowledge at the end, so I don't want to say if the ending was valid or not because it would be such a precarious situation to be in.

I loved that this was set in Australia! So many thrillers are set in the US, or somewhere in England, so this change of scenery was nice. Hepworth is also a Melbourne resident, so this totally makes sense.  This was the first book I'd ever read by Sally Hepworth, but after finishing I know I need to pick up some more of her works ASAP!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Thanks so much to St. Martin's Griffin for a finished copy of this read! The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth is out in paperback on February 5th, so be sure to pick up a copy!