What's on my Hold List

 

At the moment, there are 20 items on hold for me.

A royal historical coxy series that I adore.

Here for the holiday romances - saw this on instagram 

A children's book - part of a series which has charming illustrations 

I loved the original book when it came out - it was my favorite book I read that year. So excited for more. Saw this in a review journal

A holiday mystery - set in Macy's

Any of these on your TBR list too?

Picture Book Review: The Pool is Cool

 

A boy LOVES going to the pool, but he can't understand why his Dad never joins him. The reason: he's scared of the water and never learned to swim. They take swim lessons together.

My Thoughts: Oh my heart! I loved this book. I love how the Dad tells his son the truth - about being scared and never learning how to swim. There's something very powerful in that. I love that they take swim lessons together. I love that they tackle their fears together (The son fears the diving board). The art is great. This is a perfect book to share.

Fall Romance: A Fall to Remember

 

Miranda went on vacation for the first time in a long time. Two things happened. 1) She literally ran into a man at the airport and ruined his shirt and 2) She took such terrible pictures that her family put together a tiktok and she went viral. Now she's semi-famous and companies want to work with her.

Miranda, her son, and her niece all work together at their upscale market. They all decide which company to work with - a travel company. They want to cover the fall festival in town. They send a team of two: Shelby and Jim. Shelby has a promotion dangling in front of her and family that desperately could use the bonus money. Jim is the man Miranda ran into at the airport.

They both have very different ideas on how to curate the social media posts for this project. Shelby wants everything perfect and shiny. Jim wants Miranda to just be herself - an everyday person. They have some moments of clashing.

The more time Miranda and Jim spend together, the more they begin to catch feelings. Could there be something between them?

My Thoughts: This is a fantastic fall romance that reads like Fall Hallmark Channel movie. I loved the romance between Miranda and Jim. There were some funny moments between Miranda's natural self and trying to capture her on video. I felt badly for Shelby and her situation. The fall festival sounds amazing and the Green Grocer seems like the perfect place for lunch and some specialty foods. I didn't want this book to end. Goodreads says this is the first in a new series; I really hope that is true!

Cover Thoughts: Gorgeous

Why I Read This Book: The cover drew me in plus I love the author's cozy mystery bakery series.

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your public library's romance collection.

Christmas Book Review: Falling Like Snow

* Bramble Falls book 2 * 

The Fall Festival was so popular that the mayor is looking to capitalize on it with a Snow Festival.  Sloane was hoping to travel to New York City with her cousin for the school break, but when her mom asks for her help creating a Snow Festival, she can't say no.

Now she's trying to get into the season; it hits different since her father died. Luckily her best friend Asher knows how to help. Everyone's always asking if Sloane has feelings for Asher. But just because they're best friends doesn't mean she has feelings for him.

In fact, when another boy starts paying attention to her; it changes everything. Maybe Sloan can recapture some of the Christmas joy that's been missing the past two years.

My Thoughts: This book was magical. I read it on a plane, and it just gave me the warm fuzzies. I didn't want this book to end, but I'm super happy there's a third book on the way. I love this small town and it's festivals. I would be excited to attend events from this festival. I love how the town pitched in to help. I loved Sloane and Asher. They had some really cute moments together. I did enjoy the friends to lovers moments as they finally found their way to each other. 

Cover Thoughts: Adorable

Source: Sent for Review

Library Recommendations: A must have romance trilogy for your school and public library.

Book 3: 

Is that cover impressive?

Out in June!

Picture Book Review: books for Dinovember

 

Just a few books for Dinovember

There is one dinosaur who is different that the others - one who only eats pizza. In fact, all he enjoys is Pizza. The other dinosaurs think they are special too, but pizzasaurus gets all the attention. But what happens when the dinosaur shares:

Cute and funny; kids are going to love this book. This book sets everything up for a sequel. 

A hen feels like a T-Rex - one of her ancestors. She states some ways they are similar and different.

This is a funny book with an author's note in the back with more facts. I loved the bit about the arms/wings. This book might spark some interest in research. 

Penelope Rex is used to be the only dinosaur in school - but one day, that's no longer true. And the new kid is better at her in almost every way...

It's hard not to compare yourself to other people. I love the message that there are people with bigger talents than us, but that we also have our own talents. I love how the two were able to find a way to connect. As always, these books are funny and charming.

Top Ten Tuesday: One Word Reviews

 This week's topic is one word reviews for the last books we've read.

From newest to older at the time of writing this post:

Cute

Unique

Fantastic

Charming

Flirty

Perspectives 

Fascinating

Nostalgic 

Delightful

Beginning

Have you read any of these?

Middle Grade Review: Fearless

* Book 2 in The Taylors series *

They Taylors can't believe their luck when they learn the class trip is headed to Nashville! Hello Taylor Swift!!!! There's so much to do before the trip:

1. Figure out their roommate arrangements

2. Sign up for events

3. Plan their outfits

4. Make the friendship bracelets

But it's not all fun and game - in fact, most of it makes the four friends anxious. Two might not even join the trip. There's only three people to a room. There are secrets being shared. All this drama is wreaking havoc on the girls.  Will this trip be everything they hope it will be?

My Thoughts: I really love how this is both a middle grade and a YA book. I love seeing how the girls get to their future books. I do hope there are more books in both the middle grade and the YA world. There's so much drama in this book leading up to the trip. I do wish we had a little more meat to the trip, but also I'm happy to read this series forever. And I do understand there's a word limit. I do love how the girls start branching out here. I love how the girls used Fearless to help them conquer their own fears. Obviously, I love the Taylor Swift moments! 

Cover Thoughts: Adorable

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A must have for all your younger Swifties.