The celebrations continue for my birthday! My husband took me out for an early dinner or late lunch to a Greek restaurant – Fotia Greek Taverna in Manchester, NH. This was our first time dining here.
I found Fotia online and had to try it since I love Greek food. I took photos of our food from bread to salad to our meals and also of our lovely waitress, Marissa.
Bread and olive spreadStuffed cabbages & Lamb chop dinnerGreek SaladBaklava what was left of it at home
A Prosecco toast after dinner at home
Everything was delicious from the loaf of crusty bread and olive spread, Greek salad, to our meals.
I had the lamb chop dinner which had five lamb chops and a good amount of rice pilaf. The lamb was cooked to perfection, tender and tasty. The rice was equally delicious. I ate all the rice and shared a chop with John but brought home two more chops for another time. It was more than enough to eat.
Each dinner came with two sides except the smaller meals. We chose to share a Greek salad. John’s meal was stuffed cabbages four, which was a smaller meal and cost less than the dinner portion which would have two larger stuffed cabbages plus two sides.
The waitress, Marissa, was so engaging and helpful when we asked many questions about items on the menu. She was accommodating in every way and even gave us our dessert, baklava, at no charge because it was my birthday. The baklava was decadently delicious without being too sweet like some I have had. I usually do not want to eat more than one bite. Unfortunately for my husband who bought only one piece, I ate almost half of it. It was too scrumptious to just have one taste!
I promised our waitress, Marissa, I would post my review on Yelp and also do a post about it on my blog since we were so pleased with our first meal experience there.
The atmosphere was pleasant with a pub feel to it, high top tables, lower tables and large booths that could accommodate four to six people. Greek influence all around on the walls added to the decor.
We definitely plan to return more times to try all the enticing items on the extensive menu.
If you are ever in the area, stop in and try this wonderful Greek restaurant and pub for an enjoyable meal and experience. I highly recommend it!
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon where something is always brewing at JEMSBOOKS!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
Weather interfered with some of the celebrations but the show did go on! What a wonderful day of celebrations with the incredible tall ships from 55 other countries, the fabulous fireworks and music. This has been a memorable celebration that has inspired me and made me prouder than ever to be an American. I had to share all these photos of such a memorable day even if it is all over. It will stay in my memory forever.
We will experience 850K fireworks in between the rain! Incredible!
Fabulous singers and music – Lee Greenwood sang God Bless the USAOriginal flag with 13 colonies
The following photos are of the most incredible fireworks I have ever seen, some of Veterans of WWII, Gold Star families and astronauts. President Trump thanked them all for their service.
Astronauts Veteran of WWIIVeterans of WWIIGold Star Families
It was a memorable and fabulous tribute to our country and our 250th Anniversary of our Independence.
It was a long night and delays attributed to a passing storm which put the fireworks pushed to almost midnight. Many people over 300K were there before the storm but some left leaving over 100K to persevere and stay for the festivities. We stayed awake for all of it which was well worth the wait. It was wonderful!
Thank you for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. I hope you enjoyed my photos. The ones of the fireworks couldn’t capture the fantastic display or the incredible excitement that was in the air. God bless you and yours.
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
Today I celebrated my 78th birthday, not quite as old as the USA! My two grown kids took me and my husband to a local restaurant for lunch. It was a lovely time to see my kids and grandkids all together. Only two of my grandsons couldn’t make it – working but they sent birthday wishes.
My husband sent me a gorgeous bunch of roses. My son gave me a gift certificate to a restaurant and my daughter gifted me a miniature rose plant. I felt so blessed to have such wonderful kids to remember me on my day,
I have received many birthday wishes online and want to expend my thanks to all for sending them.
Thank you for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon.
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
I am still working on Book 6 of Gateskin Chronicles but I have also written four short stories in one collection for 18+ under J.E. Spina. My husband is working on a cover and I will soon be publishing it after my beta readers look it over.
Working on two books at the same time is something that I have done in the past. My mind will wander to another idea or something that I have dreamed of and can’t get out of my mind. This particular collection is a continuation of a story that was in another short story collection, An Angel Among Us.
I will be sharing more about this collection soon along with the cover. Keep watching for it. The genre is mystery/thriller/paranormal/suspense and even a little horror which I do not like but this story called for it. Sigh! I was happy and relieved to get the story out of my head.
One reader of An Angel Among Us did mention that she thought some of my stories could be made into longer novels. Well, this is what I did. There are four stories that sort of continue into one another. They are based on the same thing that continues to grow with new characters. Did I pique your interest yet? I hope so.
In the meantime, read all the Gateskin Chronicles Books 1-5. Also, grab a copy of An Angel Among Us to read the story that was the beginning of the new series of short stories. As usual, I would love to hear your thoughts about any of my books through your reviews on Amazon.
JEMSBOOKS has plenty of reading for all ages with entertaining and engaging stories that children, middle-graders, preteens and young adults plus 18+ will love. Check out all the books to the right of this post and click on covers to stock up on summer reading for everyone in your family.
What are your middle-graders and preteens reading during the lazy days of summer? JEMSBOOKS has two entertaining series to keep your kids reading and engaged.
BMGN promo
This Davey & Derek Series won (11 book awards) – 5 Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards, 3 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards – an Honorable Mention, a Silver Medal, and a Finalist, a Book Excellence Award Finalist, a Silver Medal in the Authorsdb Cover Contest, Top Shelf Awards – First Place and Finalist in Red City Review Book Awards and many 5-Star Reviews from Readers’ Favorite Book Awards.
Davey & Derek Junior Detectives Series is a fun and magical series with spells, wands, a black cat, good witches, time travel, ghost hunting and more. There are also life lessons that include being kind, caring and respectful toward others, listening to parents, being helpful and doing chores, and bullying is never tolerated or accepted. Parents love this series too! When your MG/PT/YA read these books, you will rest easy that they are reading good, clean, and wholesome books. What more could you want in a book for your children? Parents are reading and enjoying them too!
BMGN promo
This Abby & Holly Series has won 8 Book Awards – 6Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards and 2 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards – Bronze Medal, and an Honorable Mention, and five-star reviews from Readers’ Favorite Book Awards.
Abby & Holly Series Books 1-6 with 8 awards (promo by John Spina)
All my books for MG/PT carry life lessons that I hope kids will remember and carry with them for a lifetime, e.g., friendship is important, family matters, bullying is never accepted or tolerated, be respectful of elders, be kind to others in need, lend a helping hand to others and show kindness at all times.
Abby & Holly Series provides more fun and ghostly adventures with cousins, Abby & Holly, as they discover things in their old Victorian and go back to the past to solve mysteries. There are ghosts, a haunted house, time travel, mysteries, and magic. Life lessons will also be learned about friendship, family, respect, love and caring for one another, and bullying will never be accepted or tolerated! MG/PT/YA will be hooked and parents will feel good about the quality of books their children are reading! Adults are reading and enjoying them also!
I thoroughly enjoyed writing these series which made me feel like a kid again. I had to get into the mindset of when I was ten and up. I was surprised that it came so easy for me. My muse kept me in the story as the characters carried the story forward. I never knew how each story would begin or end until they did.
Being a ‘pantser’ is an exhilarating feeling as the story grows and I am just a passenger along for the ride, and what a wild ride it is!
MG/PT is my favorite genre in which to create a story. I plan to create another series after I complete the last book in my fantasy series.
If your children haven’t read these series, now is the time to introduce them to the magic, fantasy, twin detectives, ghosts and haunted house. I bring the two series together in book five of Davey & Derek.
There is plenty of fun, excitement and surprises in these series that will keep your kids reading all summer and begging for more.
Here are what others are saying about these series.
Book 1Book 2Book 3Book 5Book 4Book 6Abby & Holly Book 1Abby & Holly Book 2Abby & Holly Book 3Abby & Holly Book 4Abby & Holly Book 5Abby & Holly Book 6
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back to JEMSBOOKS where something is always brewing!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
I am offering one of three ebooks from my 51 books to three readers! All you have to do is live in the USA. Send me an email with your choice of ebook. The first three emails I receive will have an ebook of their choice.
Clip on covers to the right of this post or on links below.
Here are some photos from Fox News to help you celebrate this wonderful country that we have been blessed to be citizens.
My grandparents came here from Portugal and worked in the mills in Massachusetts and became citizens, learned English, and were proud and happy to be here. When I see the Statue of Liberty it makes me think of my grandmother who had to travel here and landed at Ellis Island in order to enter the United States. If you want to know more about my grandmother who reached 100 years old, please grab your copy of LUBELIA ALYCEA: ONE HUNDRED YEARS. I believe my Avoa (grandmother in Portuguese) would have loved this book I dedicated to her memory. I hope you will love it too!
I feel blessed for what they did for me and my family. They paved the way for us to live in FREEDOM. God bless America and God bless the rest of the world.
We will celebrate this 250th in a quiet way with lobsters and steamers and corn on the cob. We will watch the fireworks and all the celebrating that is taking place from the comfort of our living room. At our ages it is the safest and most comfortable place to be. Haha!
Enjoy your day and stay safe and well. May God bless you all.
Thank you stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Don’t forget to send me an email with your choice of ebook. I will send the three ebooks to the first three people who send me their choice. Happy Reading!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
What a celebration for America – 250 years! It has been incredible to see all the ongoing celebrating along with the preparations that are being made to make this 250th anniversary so memorable. I look forward to every part of this incredible celebratory year!
July 4, 2026, marks the historic 250th anniversary (the Semiquincentennial) of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. This milestone celebrates 250 years since the United States officially became an independent nation in 1776. [1, 2, 3]
Our flag flies with a light at night.
Here is a link to learn more about July 4th 250th anniversary of our Independence – 1776-2026.
America has struggled over the years but has survived and grown stronger. We continue to grow and strengthen.
Everywhere you look you will see how much patriotism is evident. God bless America that we will continue to be a great nation under God.
We will have plenty of fireworks, cookouts and family gatherings with good food, drink.
Have fun this 4th and always remember
As America celebrates its freedom
Other nations are still fighting for theirs.
Stay safe while you celebrate
With fireworks and cookouts
and fly the Stars and Stripes proudly.
May God bless you all and the Red, White & Blue!
I am proud to be an America as the song says and wish all Americans a happy celebration! Please support your country and fly the Red, White & Blue proudly! We are fortunate to be in the greatest country in the world. Cherish your heritage and all the blessings you have. God Bless!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA from JEMSBOOKS!
Thank you for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon where something is always brewing at JEMSBOOKS!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
JEMSBOOKS has 23 books for children ages PS-Grade 3, in rhyme with life lessons. Each book has colorful illustrations that will delight and engage children.
It was a sincere pleasure to create all these stories for your children. I hope you will introduce your children to these entertaining stories about animals and other things. My books are educational and engaging and have won many book awards for excellence.
Here are what readers are saying about my children’s books.
Make Believe 4Make Believe 3Make Believe is Fun Book 2
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon where there is always something brewing at JEMSBOOKS! Remember reviews are needed and welcomed by all authors everywhere. Reviews are one way to support authors and help spread word about their work. Thank you.
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
Here it is already the end of another month. Where does the time go? I have been busy as usual reading some wonderful books for the month of June of 2026. Here are the 8 books I read and reviewed for June. I might have read even more if I didn’t have a few WIP. But I always seemed to have a WIP! That fact never stops me! I hope you enjoy reading these reviews.
I love sharing my eclectic reads in this Jemsbooks Segment, Books Read in the Month. I hope you will get a chance to look over these books soon. Thank you for your kind support of my work and that of my fellow authors.
If you are an avid reader, as I am, please review the books you love on Amazon or wherever you purchased them for others to enjoy your reviews. Reviews are one way for readers to know about an exceptional book. We indie authors love to receive reviews and appreciate the efforts of readers to do them. Once again, I thank you for your kind support of me and my books and for supporting my fellow authors too.
When I wrote these reviews I rated them on Amazon, Goodreads and sometimes Barnes & Noble. I did not include the ratings here though. It is best to share my thoughts with you about how I felt about the book without the rating. Ratings can be deceiving at times.
We all feel differently about books. Sometimes we love them, sometimes we like them and still other times we may dislike a book. Some other books are so memorable they take your breath away! While still others are sweet, sensitive, and enjoyable reads that we soon will forget. But all these books I have reviewed were lovely reads as you can see from my reviews. I hope you enjoy my reviews and that they will help you to decide what will be your next read.
All the Colors of the Dark is a powerful story of love, healing, heartache, and finding peace in one’s life despite a traumatic past.
The protagonists are connected from childhood and feel each other’s pain. One is a police officer while the other is a talented artist who expresses his feelings through his art.
The woman, Saint, has loved the artist, Patch, since they were children but Patch was always a troubled boy and suffered more after he was kidnapped when attempting to save some taken women. He was haunted most of his life by these experiences.
A long story that could have been more than one book. It was engrossing and hard to put down because of the depths of emotional and psychological trauma that the characters
Kitty Heaven is a sweet and emotional story that touches the heartstrings. Who doesn’t love kittens? This little girl always wanted a pet but couldn’t have one because of their landlady’s rules against pets. How can she give up these two adorable kittens she has saved one day?
The author has created a lovely story about kindness to animals. It’s a feel-good story that everyone will love.
Murder in the Mist is the second book in this paranormal mystery series with FBI Agent Coraline Pratt. Cora is a fearless, dedicated and determined agent who will do her job to the best of her abilities.
When her partner, Agent Nolan, is a suspect in a murder investigation, Cora is there to back him and works to find out what happened.
This is a gripping and action filled paranormal mystery series that continues to deliver for those readers who love the unexpected.
Migglesworath Malevolence is a short story full of paranormal activity, a haunting, and an evil spirit that is dominating another spirit in a house.
The character has had a tough childhood and lost her mother. She is trying to come to terms with this loss and move forward.
When the protagonist receives an invitation to apply for a job in a house she is visited by two spirits and must find a way to send them packing, but what she encounters is unexpected.
An interesting premise that has many possibilities to become a full-length novel. I enjoyed this quick read that left me wanting more.
The Price of Honey is an intriguing short read with a memorable ending. The author created a story, though short, that has plenty of interesting characters, an unusual premise and an unexpected ending.
This could be a full-length novel but would need to have more information about the main character, the person who died.
The Replacement is an engaging, psychological short story about a Hollywood actress, fame, and what others will do to attain reaching the top in any way they can even at the expense of harming others who get in their way.
An enjoyable read with a surprise twist at the end.
Abnormal Desires is a paranormal, historical mystery with suspenseful undertones that kept this reader engaged. It is an enjoyable read with interesting and well-defined characters, and an intriguing storyline.
The author has created an enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone who loves paranormal mysteries.
Untaken is a deep and thought-provoking story that I could not put down. It is so engrossing and current in its details about today’s world. I found myself thinking about everything in my own life. Will this happen soon? How will the world react and who will survive?
This is a book that calls for much discussion and thought about the possibilities of the Rapture and when or how it will happen. It propels me to keep reading the bible to understand more about God’s plan. The author included the reader in the story as she shares what is happening and consistently asks the reader for assistance.
A memorable read that I highly recommend!
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon where something is always brewing at JEMSBOOKS! Please review books for all the hard-working authors out there who would welcome and appreciate your efforts to help promote their work. Thank you!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
If your children enjoy short stories that are fun and entertaining, Family and Friends is the story for them. Each rhyming story is about a different subject, persons or things with colorful illustrations that will engage your children.
MOM’S CHOICE AWARDS SILVER MEDAL WINNER!
This is a children’s book with six stories for ages 5-8. Each story is a stand-alone story. Children will read about two little sisters, two young boys, a boy and a toad, rabbits, a bluebird, and a mouse and a piece of cheese.
They are feel-good stories that children will want to read again and again. One story will make children laugh out loud whiles others will teach them important life lessons about kindness to others, friends and family matter, believe in yourself, and you can do anything if you just try.
I wrote this story for two little girls who I met one day in a restaurant. They were so adorable that I had to interact with them. I asked the parents if the girls liked to read. They said definitely they did. Once I told them I was an author of children’s books, they were excited to receive a bookmark and a promise from me to write a story just for them. The first story in this book is about these two little girls.
Unfortunately, I do not have any way to contact them. I only hope that they will see the book and check it out.
I enjoy writing short stories for all ages. By putting my children’s short stories in chapters encourages children to read one story or all of the stories like a big boy or girl. It’s important to introduce your young children to short chapter books to get them to read more each day.
Parents, read with your children at bedtime or anytime that you can fit it in your busy lives. I know how difficult it is to that sometimes when you work, take care of the house and family. I did that myself for many years. But I tried to take some time at night to spend after dinner reading to and with my children.
Family and Friends is a fun book to read together. It will interest both boys and girls because there is a story about two sisters, another one about two boys who are best friends, and a few about animals that will delight and amuse children. I laughed out loud when I was creating the mouse and the piece of cheese. The adorable illustrations were created by my talented husband, John.
Please introduce your children today to this entertaining collection of short stories today for some fun reading instead of TV and the other technology that they are becoming addicted to, unfortunately. this book was recommended by @MomsChoiceAwards.
Here are what others are saying about this book on Amazon.
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again where something is always brewing at JEMSBOOKS! Remember to review books for all the hard-working authors out there who appreciate and welcome your efforts to spread word about their work.
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
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