BookTok: Taylor Swift Sports Recommendations

I've been a giant Swiftie since Tim McGraw. 

And I'm a sports person - more basketball than football, but I do love a good sports romance.

So here are a couple recommendations: 

5 Things: Room to Dream

I'm such a fan of this series. I fell a little bit behind, but I'm catching up! There's so much to love about Mia and her saga, but these 5 things are my favorite!

If you haven't read this series, I highly recommend it. 

 

BookTok: Anne of Green Gables

 

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Picture Book Wednesday Hispanic Heritage Books

A couple books sent for review for Hispanic Heritage Month

Every Saturday Carina visits her Tia Mimi. Together they cook empanadas. But this week, Tia Mimi is helping out at the food center. She leaves a note for Carina to get all the ingredients and they will make empanadas together. 

Careful - this book just might make you hungry! It's all about community, family, food, and helping others. 

Martina likes quiet and her aunts are anything but quiet. She wishes to escape them - and finds herself in another world. There she finds a friend - just like her.

The author's note shares that this book is based on a Caribbean folktale "La Cucaracha Martina." Everyone needs a break sometimes and everyone needs someone to laugh at their stories too. Martina finds the best of both worlds. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Secondary Characters

 This week's topic is secondary characters. To be honest, many of the secondary characters get their own books in romance, which is wonderful.

 However, I have a major group of characters that I would LOVE to have their own book. 

I know I'm not alone when I say, I need to book about Manon and the Thirteen. 

BookTok: Knock Out

* Book 3 in the Hell's Belles series *

If you don't know this about me, I'm a HUGE fan of Sarah's and I will read anything she writes.

I loved this book!

 

TBR Check In: Summer

We shared our Fall TBR lists this week, so it's time to see how I did with summer reading...

Spoiler Alert, not well.

Summer is the busiest time of the year for me with work. 

What I Read off My List:

I have four currently checked out from the library and a few more on hold. 

I did read several other books - but sometimes it's hard getting them first at the library over the summer.

Fall Books for Kids

Happy first day of Fall everyone!

It's my favorite time of year, now until the end of the year.

I love the cool weather, the apple baked goods, and the leaves crunching on morning walks with the dogs

Here are some cute Fall Books for Littles:

Board Books:

An adorable book about autumn with soft gorgeous illustrations.

Same author and illustrator as the previous book - this one talks about fall moving into winter.

The two fall flavors battle it out for who is the best until a leaf steps in. A cute story about loving apples and pumpkins. Great message here wrapped in a fun book.

If you like puns, this is an adorable story to share!  Full of fall favorites and charming illustrations. 

Picture Books:

Amazing photographs that describe a fall name - similar to April Pulley Sayre

Fall is here and Hedgehog is looking for all his friends; some are leaving, some are hibernating, and some are staying around. A cute way to learn about animals in different seasons.

This family loves football - through the seasons, the wins, and the losses. They stick together no matter what.  A fun look at how a family celebrates life and grows between football seasons.

Picture Book Review: Big

One little girl grew up happy- until something changed. She was shamed for her body. It finally became too much for her. She took back her confidence and found herself again outside of the opinions of others. 

WOW! This is an impressive and important book. I love the message of looking at yourself and finding self-worth through your own eyes. The illustrations are amazing (Vashti Harrison is one of my favorite illustrators. 

Library Recommendation: A must have book for your school or public library's collection. 

Review: Abby in Neverland

 

* Special Edition Number 3 in the Whatever After series * 

Jonah is having a sleepover and Abby is having a rough night. But then a boy appears in her window looking for his shadow. She declines, but moments later she sees her brother and his friends flying through the air. Abby has no choice but to follow them. 

Abby doesn't love Neverland like Jonah and his friends. She's the oldest and all the responsibility falls on her. She's worried about Maryrose and her health. She's worries about getting back home without their mother noticing. And she's annoyed at Tink's behavior. 

But what she doesn't realize is - there's a reason she's in Neverland. Peter was told to bring her. That can only mean one thing, her nemesis is here...

My Thoughts: I really liked this book - even though I'm not a huge fan of the Peter Pan story. I love the idea of flying and of course I loved Abby's happy reason to flying, I adored the Taylor Swift references. I liked the moments between Maryrose and Tink. I can't wait to see what happens next!

Cover Thoughts: Fantastic

Source: My Library

Library Recommendations: A must have series for your school or public library collection

Picture Book Wednesday: Outdoor Books

It's not quite fall, so here are a few outdoor picture books - perfect for never year's summer reading theme. 

All about skunks - complete with warning signs when a skunk is about to spray you and lots of nature facts.

How the famous garden park in New York City came to be - from empty tracks to the bustling garden and entertainment area it is today. I loved the ideas that people had for the tracks. A fascinating read - complete with ideas on how to further help the environment. 

A great science book about how trees grow so tall! 

The story of how one tree planted in the middle of the city changed the entire block. A beautiful book which takes the reader through the seasons and how the neighborhood and the tree changes. I love the diversity in this book. The illustrations are adorable and easy to pour over.

Tim wants to hang out with his Dad, but his Dad has to work. Tim finds his father's old nature journals in the attic, which inspires their time together the next day. 

A list of so many activities to do together outside - ranging from games to exploring. There are great pictures and adorably bright illustrations. This is a beautiful book that's sure to spark fun and creativity. 

* Not a picture book

Top Ten Tuesday: Fall TBR List

 

This week's topic is fall books we're looking forward to reading. So books coming out September, October, and November. I'm not sharing most holiday romances because I made this list in July. 

Kids and Middle Grade:

YA:

Graphic Novels:

Adult:

Any of these are your list too?