Blog Archives
Knights of New York
Knights of New York by Eugene Ditaranto, Jr. is a book that is dedicated to the courageous and fearless fire fighters of the New York City Fire Department, popularly known as the FDNY. This book is a testament to the dedication, exceptional leadership and management within the FDNY. This is uncommon knowledge to people outside of the department but it is critical to the safety of the community they serve, and this exceptional book highlights all the fantastic work these ‘knights’ do to serve their community.
Author Eugene Ditaranto provides detailed accounts of the roles each firefighter fills within the department. I enjoyed the clear descriptions as it helped me fully understand the fire department. Not only are there clear explanations of the ranks and duties, but the book also shows how each person plays a different role in the success of the department.
While this could be considered something of a memoir, I find it is more of a dedication to the brave firefighters that Eugene Ditaranto served with. He uses his decades of experience in the department to color all of his explanations and provides incisive observations and thoughtful information on everyone he has known, the jobs they perform, and how the people and the job function within the department. This is an illuminating book, especially for someone like me who knows little of how a fire department works. I was absolutely fascinated by all the information within the book. It’s like a literary museum that takes readers through the many contributions and achievements the ‘knights’ within the FDNY have accomplished.
The book also details various incidents that have occurred in New York and how the FDNY responded. The most notable being the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on September 11th. I am familiar with this event, but Eugene Ditaranto provides readers with a unique perspective of the events that transpired as they are all told from the perspective of the FDNY and how they responded to the attack, the role they played in the aftermath, and the fires they delt with, such as their work in Deutsche Bank. The bank collapsed as a result of the attack and it took them over an hour to control the fire, which is such an amazing feat controlling such a large-scale fire. These harrowing experiences shared throughout the book give readers a true appreciation for the work these ‘knights’ do.
Knights of New York is an enlightening account of the FDNY and provides readers with a fascinating view of the operations of the New York City Fire Department. For anyone interested in how fire departments work, anyone looking for a unique perspective on 9/11, or any readers looking for a compelling nonfiction story, then this is definitely a book you want to pick up.
Pages: 144 | ISBN: 1098392701
Grow An Edible Jungle
Sassy Food shows readers how to grow a sustainable garden that can provide food anywhere and any time. What inspired you to write this book?
I wanted to share the joy I found by growing food – especially in ways I never thought of before, like with sprouts and microgreens. Concentrated yummy nutrition can be grown easily in just a few days! If it’s that easy – we can all be happier!!!
What is a common misconception you feel people have about gardening?
People think that to garden you need land and a lot of space. That’s not true. You can grow an edible jungle on a window sill or a counter. No natural light? Use a grow light. There are almost endless possibilities!
What is one tip that has changed the way you grow food?
Flexibility is key. I use a small hydroponic container to start seeds. Once I get seedlings I transplant them to a container or my small aquaponic tank.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
Get in touch with nature and find JOY with growing food in some way, even a small one. You’ll be better able to handle this chaotic world – I’m sure of it.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Many people think growing food takes a lot of time and space. And that is not true. Like the subtitle says, it really is possible to grow your own any size ‘farm’ anywhere, anytime of year with any budget. Sassy Food empowers you to take charge of adding peace into your life by bringing nature to your fingertips. All basics are covered from growing food from various growing methods, to cultivation and everything in between. It includes a flexible cooking technique showing how to create your own delicious recipes using a symphony of ingredients, without measurements. Artistic photos of gorgeous Eve models in Hawai’i will spark your creativity as to how you can grow food in your space, wherever you are in the world. Sassy Food shows women no matter what shape, color or age can shine their beauty from the inside out! This book honors food as we ought to honor all the women who plant, harvest, and cook it. Ja-ne hopes Sassy Food will inspire you to be lighter with yourself and bring sassyfreshhh into your focus.
This book is designed to bring light-hearted silliness into your life. It’s hard to maintain that levity with the constant seriousness of life. When Ja-ne does anything with her plants all of that goes away and she is present in the moment of seeing new changes, harvesting something to add to their meals, planting seeds that will grow into new vegan meals—this simplicity is bliss. It restores Ja-ne so she has more energy to go back to caregiving 24/7. Yes, she has not had any time off, much less one day off, since 2019. This is one way that helps her to keep on going. Inside a world pandemic, with wearing masks and social distancing, this artistic beauty was achieved. It shows we are all responsible for our individual choices and can make positive change despite any circumstance.
As soon as she finished writing Sassy Food, she caught up with her sister and brother-in-law. Grover described his experiences as a travel nurse going to COVID hotspots. He wanted to write a book about it and didn’t know how. Ja-ne teamed up with Sandra and Grover. In a few short months, Chasing the Surge was created.
20% of proceeds helps others grow food by providing growing kits and seeds along with growing workshops.
Yara and the Yellow-Headed Parrots
![Yara and the Yellow-Headed Parrots (Yara's Rainforest Book 3) by [Yossi Lapid, Joanna Pasek]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51aQEl8MwPL.jpg)
Yara and the Yellow-Headed Parrots is a wonderful picture book that educates young readers on the importance of protecting wild animals. Yara is a young girl who is admiring some parrots in a tree, but as she is watching them she sees a man that is trying to capture them. Yara confronts the man and convinces him to leave the birds alone and helps him look for an alternate solution to his problem.
This is a beautifully illustrated children’s book with full page color images in stunning water color-like illustrations. They are eye-catching images, especially the birds. My child squealed with delight when she saw the birds on the page. The parrots are very beautiful in nature and that beauty is captured on the page.
This is a bit of a sad story, as the man that is capturing the birds has a sick son that he is trying to help. But Yara finds a way to keep the birds safe while still helping the man and his son. This is a great way to teach children to think outside of the box when it comes to protecting wild animals.
Yara and the Yellow-Headed Parrots is a charming rhyming book that teaches a fantastic lesson within a gorgeously illustrated story.
Pages: 50 | ASIN: B093LVK1QV
So . . . You Wrote a Book, Now What?
Every aspiring writer should get a hold of this book not only because of the great advice given by Christian Freed but also because of how funny he is when explaining concepts. So . . . You Wrote a Book, Now What? is an informative book that provides a lot of great advice that is relevant to writers embarking on their publishing journey. Christian Freed writes about real challenges that you will encounter as you struggle to come up with the idea of the book, the writing process and how to arrange your thoughts. I also enjoyed how the author discusses the ugly side of writing, which is a topic often overlooked. He gives readers an idea of how difficult the journey can be without being discouraging. Christian Freed uses his experience as an example to give readers a clear picture of how exciting and tedious the writing process can be.
You have written your book well, and it has been published, now what? How do you sell your book? Which methods are best for marketing? How do you look for support from your friends, family and colleagues? Christian Freed addresses all these issues that authors face. He talks of successful published authors and discusses what they did right. The author also provides great advice on building your name or author brand, which is a section that I found particularly helpful. Among all the practical advice the author infuses amusing jokes and quotes to keep readers engaged and smiling.
Christian Freed brings the reader into his world, unafraid of pointing out his own mistakes. By doing this, the author forms a connection with the reader, understand where he’s coming from, and makes it easy for one to digest his content.
Every chapter in the book is significant, but one of the chapters I found most crucial was on building a brand. How do you make your name and book big? The author shares quick tips on how to make yourself known.
So . . . You Wrote a Book, Now What? provides actionable advice for authors that are trying to find their way in the wild world of publishing. It can seem daunting, but Christian Freed gives readers a prescription for success with his enlightening guide.
Pages: 108 | ASIN: B09DB1BHWR
Magic in Windowland
![Magic in Windowland (Pip's Adventures in Windowland Book 1) by [Rupamanjari Majumder]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51GArmvbvyL._SX260_.jpg)
Magic in Windowland follows a window doodle who is magically, and accidentally, brought to life by a pixie. Pip bursts into life on the page and realizes that he has the ability to bring other window doodles to life. But when he trips and accidentally brings a doodle dragon to life Pip must use his magic, imagination and wits to defeat it.
I really enjoyed the creativity in this book. The idea of window doodles coming to life is unique and executed in a fun way that makes the entire story awesome and charming. Pip is just a stick figure but there is so much action going on in each page that you hardly notice that he’s just a simple drawing. Even I, as an adult, was drawn into the story and wondered of the possible adventures they can encounter in Windowland as it is filled with doodles pulled straight from children’s imaginations.
The story is told with simple language that beginning readers will be able to read. Every page is accompanied by cute art that illustrates the point of the piece of the story, which should help young readers place the words they are reading in context.
This is an imaginative adventure story that children will surely enjoy. You can be sure that after kids finish this book they will be running to the nearest window to create doodles of their own.
Pages: 31 | ASIN: B097QHGPW2
The Death of Content As King
The Death of Content as King: How a Data Democracy Has Revolutionized Marketing, by Jon Hinderliter, explores how content is no longer as dominant as it once was and goes on to explain how data now monopolizes marketing. This book is a well researched and thorough guide to help people embrace this new ‘data democracy’ which represents the true voice of the consumer.
Jon Hinderliter has put together a book that dives deep into the details and expounds on the ways in which data is better for marketing than content. Hinderliter brings in some of his own personal experiences that illustrate the different points being made throughout the book. I thought they were interesting and a poignant addition to the book. He explains what content is and why it is considered ‘the king’. A variety of topics are covered in the book such as platforms, social networks, targeting the journey, as well as adding things you didn’t know you would need; which for me was basically the majority of this book as I found this book unveiled issues I didn’t know existed and provided effective solutions to those problems immediately. He moves on logically from there to building your democracy to privacy and wraps it up with what’s coming next. I felt the topics were well rounded and thorough. Hinderliter expertly shows how you can use data to target and personalize what you are putting out so that you can create purposeful and specific content that is designed to succeed in the new world.
The Death of Content as King: How a Data Democracy Has Revolutionized Marketing is a must read for anyone working in marketing, public relations, advertising, or any entrepreneur that wants to succeed in this new world. Filled with detailed and actionable advice, this book provides value in more ways than one and is a critical tool in the digital age.
Pages: 238 | ASIN: B08Q1X44KX
An Explosion of Ideas
The Mistaken Monster is a fun adventure story following three kids who think they see a monster but discover something heartwarming instead. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
A family holiday, a conversation with my 10 year old daughter Sarah, an explosion of ideas, and the book was born.
What scene did you have the most fun writing in this book?
The scene where they all realise that stye have mistaken the old man for a monster. The interaction between him and the group reminds me of so many conversations with over people about how much they value company.
Was there anything from your own childhood that you placed into this story?
The snake going across the year din the opening is right out of my childhood. That was a really common occurrence where I grew up.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from the story?
Don’t judge, kindness is our best defense.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website
No Dinosaurs Allowed
![No Dinosaurs Allowed: (B) by [Deborah Hunt, Ashleigh Heyns]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Yg3OFxBVS.jpg)
No Dinosaurs Allowed follows a young boy named Bobby and his dinosaur friend named Teddy. They both head out to go to a party and meet several people along the way, but everywhere the places they go are not suitable for a dinosaur as big as Teddy. He is too big for the birthday party, he is too scary for the animals at the zoo, and the library does not allow dinosaurs. With nothing to do, Bobby and Teddy are starting to feel left out. What are they going to do?
This is a charming and poignant children’s book that teaches a wonderful lesson on inclusivity and making adjustments for others to fit in. While Teddy is first turned away from many activities, later on he is invited back to those same activities after they have made some minor adjustments. This is a fantastic way to show children how to accommodate other people that are different from them.
The story is told through simple words and brightly colored images that look to be hand drawn and colored, which adds a fantastic handcrafted feel to the story that children will be able to really connect with. All the characters are also very emotive as well, which helps children see and understand the emotions that each character is feeling in the different situations.
No Dinosaurs Allowed is an educational picture book that teaches an important lesson to children and does it in a fun way.
Pages: 32 | ASIN: B097HPZHY3
LITERARY TITAN 