#mennavanpraag

[booksiseeloveandread]

(Gifted) The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag ✨ . #QOTD: How many books have you read this month? 📚 . I only finished one! The Sisters Grimm was very slow paced, which was a nice change from what I usually read, but it also meant that I didn’t read it as quickly. It was beautifully written, and I loved the characters, though I had expected a bit more action! If you’re a fan of books like The Night Circus 🎪 I think you’ll appreciate this one! . This book was gifted to me by @paper.charm . . . #thesistersgrimm #mennavanpraag #bookreview #fantasybooks #grimmfairytales #fantasyfriday #bookcover #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksta #bookphoto #bookphotography #bookphotograph #booksofinstagram #fantasylit https://www.instagram.com/p/B9ImR9uArEc/?igshid=h2ediughewdc

[booksiseeloveandread]

(Gifted) The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag . What 2020 release are you looking forward to? I’m so excited to have received an advance copy of The Sisters Grimm! I love fairy tales so I’m always intrigued by books that are inspired by them. Keep reading for the synopsis and pre-order link! 🌒 . Synopsis from Goodreads: As children, Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea dreamed of a strange otherworld: a nightscape of mists and fog, perpetually falling leaves and hungry ivy, lit by an unwavering moon. In the shadowland of Everwhere, the four girls began to nurture their elemental powers together. But at thirteen, the sisters were ripped from Everwhere and separated. Now, five years later, they search for one another and yearn to rediscover their unique and supernatural strengths. To realize their full potential, the blood sisters must return to the land of their childhood dreams. As Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea are beset with the challenges of their earthly lives, they must prepare for a battle that lies ahead. On their eighteenth birthday, they will be subjected to a gladiatorial fight with their father’s soldiers. Three will live. One will die. . It releases the 6th of February 2020, and you can pre-order it here:  https://tinyurl.com/y3suy6yx . Thank you @thepapercharm for sending me a review copy! . . . #openthegates #sistersgrimm #grimmfairytales #mennavanpraag #fantasyfriday #fantasybooks #bookcover #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksta #bookphoto #bookphotography #bookphotograph #booksofinstagram #fantasylit #thesistersgrimm https://www.instagram.com/p/B5dNgSlA1tJ/?igshid=aw4o231qpcv8

[bloggingbadasswitch]

Book number 9 of the year. This was a fun little magical read. I'm a little sad it was so short because I would have loved to find out more about some of the characters. As solid 3 stars, would be more if there was more of it! 📖 #instagram #reading #book #thewitchesofcambridge #mennavanpraag #librarybook #library #useyoulibrary #bookworm #librarian #findingaestheticfloors https://www.instagram.com/p/BuwVHQxnChg/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=86vsf16jtg2g

[that-girl-rayne]

Would you like cake with your coffee? - more beautiful words have never been spoken.

[onceuponaplotline-blog]

Finally getting around to posting my #top5tbr thank you @lauralocketreads for tagging me and getting my butt back onto #bookstagram 😆 I've been in a reading/life slump for a long time and don't really have a priority tbr pile, but I pulled these off the shelf in hopes that I'll snap out of it soon~ I don't think I'll tag anyone myself because I've not been on here for a while, but if you see this then definitely give it a go and tag me in yours! #foxlowe #eleanorwasserberg #thehouseattheendofhopestreet #mennavanpraag #thegirlwithallthegifts #mrcarey #everythonginevertoldyou #celesteng #theunexpectedeverything #morganmatson #tbr

[venussaves]

“Especially since you’re writing about love, but you’ve never actually...”

No matter the art form, the relatable ones any way, all contain and express the feeling, Love. I don’t know about you but personally, when I decided I wanted to  pursue acting as my career i thought that I could just read all the books, study all of the actors, and some how I would just know what to do. That’s not the case. At some point you have to leave all of the homework, the study, and the preparation behind and just jump in. (even if you still have to hold your nose). Peace and understanding comes from conquering your fears. Not from running from them. 

Wow. This book is making me frustrated that I haven’t studied more fiction in the past. What’s particularly interesting is that plays tend to take place over short periods of time ( a day, two days, at most a week). So what you get is the image of that small small connection. It’s there. For you to see. But it doesn’t stand the test of time time. Books on the other hand tell you the entire story. (or at least a longer version of it) Books, like this one for example, tells a story over 99 days. This book takes you through the lives of different people in different stages. All of them have baggage. All of them have plans that did not go as they had initially thought. Most importantly however most of them are suffering from some kind of heartbreak. 

What I love the most is how this book reassured us that everything really is a cycle. When one thing ends all we can do is find the good and praise it. There is a cycle. And when you find yourself at the house on the end of hope street it is a metaphor not for the end, but for the beginning of the next cycle. The house could stand for anything. It’s occupants don’t need to be famous people from history but whomever you allow to enter into your life and change things for the better. It’s not running from your problems to need time to yourself to reflect. You only rob yourself of growth if you are running from unresolved issues. 

People will hurt you. People will disappoint you. Life has a funny habit of never lining up with the image we have in our head. And that’s ok. Hell might be empty since all the demons are here but you don’t need to let yourself be over powered by them. You can face them strong and resolute. You will hurt. You will cry. You will fall. But how do you get back up? How you do you get back up but AND keep your heart open?

Yowza. This book has a lot of common themes with ‘The Book of Joe’. I think what I loved the most was that this book is all about women. Women. Women. Women. Women. and I’ll tell you we really don't hear enough of those stories. They came to the house searching for hope. This powerful assurance that can’t be seen, felt, or adequately described. For some, this was the end of their hope and that’s ok. That’s their journey. Through their death however they remained in the house to help the living with advice that can one be given by the dead.

For many of us, realize that we have the strength and the courage to keep going. Don’t be afraid to connect. Live for the connection and when you fall, when hope runs almost dry, let love leave the door open. 

Okay. Before I keep rambling. ‘cause I know you really want me to stop. 

BULLETS:

* Slow Start

* 5 Major Characters

* Magical Realism

* Takes place over about 80 days

* Reading difficulty: 3/10

* Strong relatable characters

Overall rating: 9/10

[books-n-wine]

The Dress Shop of Dreams by Menna Van Praag

Synopsis:

Since her parents’ mysterious deaths many years ago, scientist Cora Sparks has spent her days in the safety of her university lab or at her grandmother Etta’s dress shop. Tucked away on a winding Cambridge street, Etta’s charming tiny store appears quite ordinary to passersby, but the colorfully vibrant racks of beaded silks, delicate laces, and jewel-toned velvets hold bewitching secrets: With just a few stitches from Etta’s needle, these gorgeous gowns have the power to free a woman’s deepest desires.

Etta’s dearest wish is to work her magic on her granddaughter. Cora’s studious, unromantic eye has overlooked Walt, the shy bookseller who has been in love with her forever. Determined not to allow Cora to miss her chance at happiness, Etta sews a tiny stitch into Walt’s collar, hoping to give him the courage to confess his feelings to Cora. But magic spells—like true love—can go awry. After Walt is spurred into action, Etta realizes she’s set in motion a series of astonishing events that will transform Cora’s life in extraordinary and unexpected ways.

Summary:

Kindle Edition, 336 pages

Published December 30th 2014 by Ballantine Books

Rating:  3.5 stars

Review

***I received a free copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine  via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

The Dress Shop of Dreams is a sweet, whimsical, feel good  read with a dash of magic and mystery that shows that  if you have the courage to open your heart anything is possible.  This was a nice and enjoyable read for me.  All of the characters were likeable and well written, and while I can’t say that I fully bonded with any of the characters, I did find something appealing about all of them.  Though Cora and her journey is the main focus of the book, we do get to meet other characters and see how one action can have a ripple effect and touch other peoples lives and possibly change them for the better.   The various storylines were well written and I really wish that a shop like A Stitch in Time really did exist.  My one small disappointment comes from the fact that while we come to understand that the red thread is magical, we are never told how it came to be so important, but as I said, it’s a small one because as this book shows, somethings you just need to accept as is and enjoy the ride.

Author/Book Links:

Website: http://www.mennavanpraag.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/mvpbooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mennavanpraag

Facebook Like Page: https://www.facebook.com/mennavanpraag.mvp

Pintrest https://www.pinterest.com/mvpathopestreet/

Amazon Author Link http://www.amazon.com/Menna-van-Praag/e/B0034Q1I0S/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1424449871&sr=1-2

Amazon book link http://amzn.com/B00LKJHTGS

Barnes and Noble book link http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-dress-shop-of-dreams-menna-van-praag/1119132518