A Magical Loveliness of Ladybugs by Amy L. Stark, Ph.D.
In a world filled with zany, fast-paced children’s books, A Magical Loveliness of Ladybugs offers a refreshing style that acts as a gentle reset button for busy minds.
Imagine finding your bedroom filled with ladybugs. That is exactly what Jan finds when she comes home from school.
This beautifully illustrated children’s book, based on a true story, helps kids notice and find value in the natural world around them. The story focuses on children and adults’ interactions with plants, bugs and butterflies, and demonstrates how nature can be sustained by planting habitats and gardens.
“Small creatures often carry the biggest truths,” the author says, and that ideal can be found throughout every page of the book.
If you’re looking for a picture book that celebrates quiet moments, encourages close observation and fosters a lifelong love for nature, this one belongs on your shelf.
Purchase at https://amzn.to/4jYkwOl.
Bitter End Birding Society by Amanda Cox
Hometown hero Ana Leigh Watkins ventures to Bitter End, Tennessee, to help her great-aunt prepare for retirement. A town called Bitter End seems an ironic place for Ana to refresh her weary spirit, but she’s desperate for respite from the attention and unwarranted admiration of her community. While on a hike in Roan Mountain, a ragtag group of amateur bird-watchers takes her under their wing — a little against her will. However, she quickly warms to these genuine souls seeking solace in the great outdoors.
But when Ana’s adventures in Bitter End lead her to a severed branch of her family tree — one that involves the forbidden love between a moonshiner’s daughter and a preacher’s son — what began as a getaway to help her great-aunt becomes a transformative journey that binds together two women who, though they live on the same street, have been estranged for sixty years.
Purchase at https://amzn.to/3GXtAEX.
Anchored by Love by Marie-Claire Moriah Wright and David Saccoh Wright
Siblings Clara, Max and Ash all found their own paths in life, but despite their individual achievements, it was the strength of their family that truly defined them. The cruise had been a chance to reaffirm that love, to reconnect and remind themselves of what mattered most: their bond as a family.
Through love, they found a way to withstand every obstacle life had thrown at them. Their journey had taught them that success isn’t just about achievements or accolades — it’s about the moments of connection. Because true joy and fulfillment came not just from what they had done, but from whom they had shared it with.
Their story is a testament to the power of love — and as they sailed into the future, they did so knowing that their hearts, their lives, and their family were forever anchored by love.
Purchase at https://amzn.to/40v68FA.
Design for Your Mind by Annie Guest
Homes are more than buildings; author, attorney and mental health therapist Annie Guest discovered this after the death of her parents. “My parents left their house to me. I decided to reimagine it in ways that would help me remember the whole of my parents’ lives — not just those sad final years — as I rebuilt my own life.”
Guest takes us through her journey and shows us the magic of how she transformed her home sustainably and on a budget. Using 95 “before” and “after” photos accompanied by easy-to-follow explanations of the science of good interior design, Guest helps us discover the true purpose of each room and how it can promote healthy living.
This is more than a book of inspired, affordable interior design. It’s a guide for anyone facing a new beginning who wants to recreate a home that supports well-being, self-expression and personal empowerment.
Purchase at https://amzn.to/3IACnxa.
