Author Event: Jenn McKinlay

 

Last week Jenn McKinlay visited my library for an after-hours event and it was awesomesauce.

Her newest book Summer Share just came out:

Which I reviewed for Fresh Fiction

"The Perfect Summer Read"

Jenn and I had a conversation where we talked about:

The Bat Scene

How the setting was influenced by her childhood memories

How the grandfathers were influenced by her uncle

The Dude and how she comes up with all the mischievous and cute animals in her books.

The Hallmark+ series for Paris is Always a Good Idea

Sadly, she does not have a cameo in the series

But she did talk about her visit to the set with her two sons

She shared how fast the timeline moved and how surprised she was having heard that Hollywood is VERY slow.

There's another work that has been optioned - this time by Acorn TV

The hat shop series starts with Cloche and Dagger. It's a seven-book series that takes place in England.

I loved this series

Jenn shared how the series idea struck her after watching William and Kate's wedding and seeing the hat Beatrice wore. 
I REALLY hope this happens. 

We talked about her writing habits and how they changed over time (and a little influence from her husband). 

We talked about switching genres (romance, cozies, romance, and fantasy)

We talked about the ending of series because of the end to printing mass market paperbacks (This is SO NOT FAIR! I want more cupcake bakery mystery series)

This ended on a cliffhanger of sorts and I want more.

Jenn signed books afterwards. 

Here I am getting my book signed

All in all, it was a great night! 

* thanks to my co-workers for taking the pictures

Picture Book Review: Books about Juneteenth

 

A few new Juneteenth books for the library:

The author asks how you would celebrate this day of freedom.

Although there are not many words to this book, it is powerful. There is an explanation of the history of Juneteenth in the back of the book along with words to Lift Every Voice and Sing.

A young girl is celebrating Juneteenth with her block and asks several people about their previous celebrations.

I love how this book talks about the history of the day in memories of people at the party. It's a clever book that shares hope for the future as well. At the end of the book, the author shares the history of day, information and importance about the color red, and a recipe.

Mrs. Connor's class is learning about Juneteenth. 

While this isn't chock full of information, it's a nice starting point. This series shares a lot of books that work well for kids learning to read. This book also contains a letter to caregivers about Juneteenth

Review: Everest Trilogy

 

I hadn't read this trilogy, but I shared the first few chapters during World Read Aloud Day at a school. Gordon Korman is always a hit with readers.

There's a competition for hikers and climber under 18 to secure a spot on the team hiking up Everest. There are several in the running. Dominic and his brother Chris are hoping to make it. Dominic is VERY young, but he has experience. 

The first book features the competition to get on the team.

The second book is about getting to Everest and acclimating

The third book is about climbing to the summit

I would read all these books back-to-back.

This trilogy was intense with lots of twists and turns. There are multiple POVs. There's lots of action and danger. There are secrets, betrayals, and death. I didn't want to put these down. It's about luck, survival, and determination. 

Everest is NOT for the faint of heart. This book made me realize that I didn't want to hike Everest or go anywhere near it. 

This book was published over 20 years ago, and it holds up today. If you're late to the party like I am, don't miss these.

Picture Book Wednesday: Haircut with Dad

On Saturday mornings, a boy and his father head to the barbershop. It's their special time together. The barbershop is THE place to be on Saturday mornings. 

There's lots of laughter, chatter, and smiles. Best of all is the time spent together - just the two of them. This is a such a cute story with a great message. I love the bright vibrant illustrations. 

* Perfect to share for Father's Day

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Wishes

  This week's topic is Book Wishes - for me is ARCs I would love to be sent.

* I'm here for ALL the holiday romances

Any of these on your wish list too?

Middle Grade Monday: Clock Hands

Vale and his family are having a hard time. He scrounges for work as best he can but without an appointment from the guild, he'll never make fair money. He can't get an appointment with the guild because he can't not purchase an entry fee.

When a stranger moves to town, he helps the family acclimate to a new town. Maestro Giuseppe wants to build a clock. His daughter will be helping him. He invites Vale to also help. Vale can't believe his good fortune. 

But he isn't sure the guilds will allow him to work. He's right to be worried. The guilds run everything and they aren't pleased. They make threats, but Vale and his friends aren't backing down. Who will win?

Why I read it: I loved Ink Girls and this is slightly connected. 

My Thoughts: I loved this book too. I love Vale and his new friends and how they stood up to the Guilds. The Guilds had too much power and they weren't using it for good. They were hurting many of the townspeople. This is a great book for a teaching tool - for historical fiction, but also unions/guilds. I loved the art in this book. I hope there are more coming in this companion series. 

Cover Thoughts: Perfect 

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A must have for your school and public library graphic novel collection

If We Were Having Tea

 

I haven't done one of these since last year. Maybe I need to start writing these posts once a month. 

I will tell you this year has been similar to last year. We just got back from a trip to Acadia. Summer reading is almost here. I'm nervous and excited about all the programs and all the people. It is the best of time and the hardest of times. It's going to be harder this year because of budget issues and being down a full time person. I would ask, what adventures do you have planned for this summer?

Because of some health reasons, I'm watching certain things I eat and I hate it. I don't bake as much and it's really hard. I miss baking. If you were baking something fun this week, what would it be?

I'm starting to post more bookish posts on instagram. If you're on there - maybe give me a follow? I'm trying to build up my profile. I would ask what types of posts you like to see bookish photos, pictures of my life, or bookish creations with canva? Do you like to take pictures too?

After the article last year in SLJ, I created a YA Romance Book Trope database. You can read more about it here. You can view it here. It's a work in progress, but I hope it's helpful for librarians for displays and whatnot. I would ask, do you like tropes in romance? What's your favorite one?

My blog has gotten many more hits this last year. I'm grateful for you all reading it. I'd ask, what brings you here? Have you read any books I talk about? What book would recommend to me?

I haven't been good at different crafts lately. I was hoping to get back into paper quilling this year, but honestly, I've spent the majority of my crafting time painting. Here are a few paintings:

I would ask, what have you crafted lately?

I would ask, what's new with you. What do you want to share?

* This idea was taken many years ago from Jamie over at The Perpetual Page Turner