Posts Tagged ‘reading’
Goodreads 2022 Challenge
Posted January 9, 2023
on:- In: Books | reviews
- 102 Comments

I had set my goal for the Goodreads challenge for 2022 at 48 books. I read 46 so almost made it. But I did read two books not listed on Goodreads and since one of the books I completed was War and Peace (which should count as two or maybe three books) I feel I actually met the challenge. https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2022
MY 2022 BOOKS
They were all great books and it would be difficult to say which were my favourites. I read a variety of books which I’m pleased about. All of my reviews are on Goodreads. I would suggest you check them out.
For 2023 I have set my challenge at 48 books once again as I am determined to meet the goal this year.
Happy reading in 2023!!
It’s 2023, Time To Set New Goals
Posted January 3, 2023
on:- In: Books | Dreams | quotes | Writing
- 80 Comments
“Marilla, isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”
LM Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
That is how I always feel on New Year’s Day. A new year with no mistakes yet! I am always so excited to make a list of goals, not all of them new, some are brought over from the year before as they didn’t get met. And that’s OK. Some have been on the list for a few years already. Things happen when they are supposed to.
Here is my list for 2023
- Read Mom’s five-year diary by reading one page a day. It will be great to learn more about Mom as a teenager.
2. Finish Amanda in Scotland: The Standing Stones, book number ten in the Amanda Travels series.
3. Publish my collection of short stories based on my childhood growing up on the Canadian prairies.
4. Learn how to self-publish
5. Return to Canada and attend a family reunion
6. Create a newsletter.
7. Clean up and sort out my office.
8. Clean up my computer and tablet
9. Read and write more poetry
10. Eat out more often. Since the pandemic, we have gotten out of the habit and I’m getting tired of cooking all the time.
11. Read 48 books. I’m going to try for this reading goal again.
12. Work on reducing my TBR pile on my bookshelves and on my Kindle
13. Maintain my health; reduce my sugar intake
14. Visit Ireland
15. Continue marketing my books and looking for new ways to market
That should keep me busy enough so I don’t get bored.
My words for 2023 are Savour the Moment
Wishing everyone a super 2023: May many of your dreams come true!

Reading Challenge 2021
Posted December 31, 2021
on:- In: Books | reviews
- 80 Comments
One of my goals for 2021 was to read more and to read a variety of books. I set my goal with the Goodreads reading challenge at 40 books. I am pleased to see I have read 46. And what a variety. From classics to contemporary, humorous to serious, books for children, middle grade and young adult, cosy mysteries, romance, historical, fantasy, poetry and short story collections, I covered a lot of ground. It’s good to expand your reading interests.
Check out all 46 books I read in 2021. I wanted to list my favourites but it would be too difficult as they were all good. I have left a review for each of them on Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/25837732



Amanda in Malta on NetGalley
Posted March 27, 2021
on:- In: Books | reviews
- 63 Comments
It’s six weeks until the release of Amanda in Malta: The Sleeping Lady and I’m getting excited.
Here is what early readers have had to say about Amanda’s latest adventure:
“A missing friend, a mysterious boy . . . Amanda’s holiday on the island of Malta takes you on a fast-paced adventure through ancient forts and fishing villages, sea caves and spooky castles. A real page-turner!”
“I love how the author mixes creativity, imagination and cultural appreciation in her writing – for minds of all ages!”
“Middle-grade readers will be drawn in by the action, pulled forward by the mystery, and absorbed by the colourful backdrop of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean.”
Amanda in Malta, the eigth book in the series, is now available on NetGalley if you would like a free advanced reading copy and are willing to write a review.
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/?text=Amanda+in+Malta
Amanda receives a postcard from her best friend, Leah, and is surprised to learn that she is in Malta with her aunt. Reading between the lines, she senses Leah is in trouble. Desperate to help her, Amanda travels to Malta with her classmate Caleb and his parents.
Amanda is intrigued by this exotic island in the middle of the Mediterranean, full of colourful history, sun-drenched limestone fortresses, stunning beaches and fascinating birds. But…who is killing the protected birds? Who stole a priceless artifact from the museum? And why is Leah acting so strange? She couldn’t possibly be involved in these illegal activities, or could she?
Join Amanda and her friends as they visit ancient temples, an exciting falconry and the enchanting Popeye Village, as they try to get to the bottom of the mystery of the Sleeping Lady.
Check out the trailer I’ve created.
Please share and let your friends know. Thanks!
Amanda Travels Series
Posted December 22, 2020
on:- In: Books | guest posts | Travel
- 29 Comments
Amanda and I are guests on Wanda Luthman´s blog today where I interview the intrepid traveller.
Hello, everyone!
Welcome to Wanda Luthman’s children’s book blog.
Today, I have a fun interview for you. One of my previous guests on this book blog, Darlene Foster, interviewed her main character, Amanda!
I think you’re going to love getting to know Amanda better.
NOTE: (DF stands for Darlene Foster, the author and AR stands for Amanda Ross, the main character)
Interview with Amanda Ross from the Amanda Travels Series by Darlene Foster
DF Hello Amanda. Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed as your readers are eager to learn more about you.
AR Thank you, Mrs. Foster. It is so awesome to be interviewed. I’ve never been interviewed before.
DF Can we start with you telling us a little about yourself?
AR Yes, thanks. I can do that. (Clears her throat) My name is Amanda Jane Ross and I live in Calgary…
View original post 941 more words
Keep Calm and Read On
Posted March 25, 2020
on:- In: Books
- 40 Comments
Do you need books to keep you busy during the lockdown? Sadly many bookstores are closing for the duration of the coronavirus. Reading is an activity we can do safely in the shelter of our homes and gardens. IPG, the distribution company for my books and many other great books, is offering a site-wide discount of 30% on www.ipgbook.com until April 5th to consumers who purchase directly from their website to be delivered to your home address or to the address of someone you wish to gift a book. You may want to check out their website. www.ipgbook.com
Click onto the IPG Bookstore tab and search for specific books or scroll through books in various categories. The promo code is keepcalmandreadon to get your discount at checkout.
This may only be for North American addresses, but I’m not sure.

We don’t want to run out of books during this time of isolation and we need to help keep the book industry afloat.
Happy reading and stay safe!
Smorgasbord Posts from My Archives – The Literary Column with Jessica Norrie – Reading from the very start
Posted July 19, 2019
on:- In: Books | guest posts | Writing
- 19 Comments
A great post on the importance of reading, that made me think of the books I read as a child and how they influenced my life.
- In: Books | Family | guest posts
- 65 Comments
I follow the blog of pre-school teacher Jennie Fitkzee at A Teacher’s Reflections. Jennie is an amazing teacher who truly loves her job and shares her 30-year teaching experiences with her readers. In some of her posts, she talks about the importance of reading out loud and of reading chapter books to children who cannot yet read. Here is some of what she has to say.
The Importance of Reading Chapter Books by Jennie
In order to read, and more importantly to want to read, it all starts with parents and family reading aloud to children, every day. The statistics on reading aloud and its link to academic success in all areas is profound. If reading is a pleasurable experience, then school work is by far easier. Every child begins school wanting to learn to read. In other words, we’ve got 100 percent of enthusiastic kindergarteners when they start school. The National Report Card found that among fourth-graders, only 54 percent read for pleasure. Among eighth graders, only 30 percent read for pleasure. By twelfth grade, only 19 percent read anything for pleasure daily. Yikes! What happened? The better question might be, what did not happen?
The seeds of not only learning to read but loving to read were not planted early. Reading aloud to children for 30 minutes every day, starting at birth and continuing after they have learned to read, is the single best thing a parent can do to build a reader. I know this. When I read aloud in my classroom, it’s the time that children are totally absorbed. Totally. A good story, read aloud, is the best learning and pleasure experience I give to children. It opens the door to questions and discovery.
People often ask why I chapter read. After all, many of the children in my classroom are three-years-old. When we chapter read, the children don’t have an image from a picture book. They have to make the pictures in their head. That requires language development. The more they hear, the more they learn. Even the youngest children benefit enormously. For example, they may not ‘get’ the humor of the goose repeating everything three times in Charlotte’s Web, but they are still getting a huge dose of language. And, that language is sparking their imagination. No pictures; just words pouring into eager, young minds and creating their own images.
Chapter reading is one of our treasured moments of the day at school. Books bring to life the imagination, the world, and the past. The anticipation of ‘what happens next’ stirs excitement every day. Children listen and talk. They ask questions. When I ask children, “At chapter reading where do you make the pictures?” they answer “In your head.”
Reading aloud is the best thing I do with, and for, children. They are preschoolers. Yes, I chapter read to four-year-olds. It is marvelous. After three decades of teaching, I know this is “it”. Learning can happen unexpectedly, and reading aloud is often the catalyst. Children don’t need to sit and listen to a book in silence. Asking questions is a good thing!
Reading aloud is the gift of language, and language is the most important element in a child’s development and success in school. Wow! The number of words a child knows can be directly attributed to his or her success in school; not just in English, but in Math and Science as well. Perhaps these are the most important words a parent can hear. Reading aloud is a strong part of my classroom curriculum, and children love it! The more you read aloud at home increases your child’s development! The biggest bonus is bonding together. Nothing beats snuggling with Mom or Dad, one-on-one, reading a book. Life is good!
Jennie
I have often been asked why I don’t have my Amanda Travels books illustrated. This is why. I want my readers to create their own images. I also hesitate to categorize my books for 8 to 12-year-olds as many pre-schoolers enjoy my books being read to them by adults or older siblings. One grandmother read my books to her three-year-old granddaughter, who loved them and drew pictures of Ali Baba the camel from Amanda in Arabia. This young woman is now 12 and still enjoys reading, including the Amanda Travels series.
Follow Jennie’s blog with more meaningful reflections of an experienced teacher https://jenniefitzkee.com/