Vacation Photos: Vermont

 

We spent this past week in Vermont and while I didn't take a ton of photos, here are some:

Sunflowers from the garden

Getting ready for Halloween

Glen Lake

Glen Lake

Early Morning Walks

Maybe a little too early

We went for a walk at the only Revolutionary battlefield in Vermont

It's so pretty here

We visited with family a lot

We attended a college volleyball game - which was really neat

The foliage was nice.

BUT I had a massive cold that kicked my butt the entire week. 

I wanted to go hiking but couldn't.

Still, we relaxed and had good food and enjoyed good company

Review: Rainy Day Bookshop

 

Emma has had a hard life. She was driving during a car accident that killed her father. She was 15. Afterward she turned to drugs/alcohol to numb the pain. She left home as soon as she could and left town with her much older boyfriend. Everything changed when she became pregnant. She became sober, left her boyfriend, and started talking to her mom again. When her mom asks her for help, she agrees to come back home on a temporary basis to run the Rainy Day Bookshop. 

Rosie's thrilled that her daughter and granddaughter are home. She just hopes that she can mend fences with Emma. She hates walking on eggshells; always afraid she'll say the wrong thing. Can they find a way forward together?

My Thoughts: While this is a book centered on relationships and both Rosie and Emma have romance stories. This book isn't a romance. The main relationship is between mother and daughter. There are four points of view in this story, which allows readers to see people from different perspectives. The kids in this book were adorable: Olive, Finn, and Zara. They stole their scenes. Set aside an afternoon to read this one; you won't want to put it down until you've finished it. 

Cover Thoughts: Adorable 

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your public library collection

Christmas Book Review: Christmas at Honeycombe Bay

Eloise doesn't want to celebrate Christmas. The person she usually celebrates with is now part of a couple. As she's retired with no family, Christmas hasn't seemed magical in years. On a whim she calls up a bed and breakfast in a summer tourist town.  

The owner at the B&B hasn't had any guests in the last year - not since Bart's wife died. He's rattling around alone in that big house. He's not sure he wants to open up the house, but he could use the money. 

When Eloise arrives, she's surprised to discover that she enjoys spending time with Bart. She's also surprised that there's another guest arriving. She's even more surprised when she learns the town is celebrating Christmas. She's not pleased but when a tragedy strikes, everything changes. When a young mother and a little boy need a place to stay, Christmas plans change.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I loved walking along the seaside town and seeing all the Christmas moments. I loved how the plans changed and how tragedy brought together people who needed each other. I really loved the found family - the friendships and the romances. I loved how Toby's excitement for the holidays boosted everyone's holiday spirits. A delightful holiday romance about found family, community, and the gift of kindness. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: Netgalley

Library Recommendations: A fantastic holiday romance for your public library's collection - highly recommended.

Hand this one too: Hallmark movie watchers. Perfect for readers of Debbie Macomber. 

Picture Book Wednesday: Halloween Books

Just a few books for Halloween:

Four friends find a strange box with a note full of don'ts. Instead of following the instructions, they do the opposite....

A fun slightly scary book for Halloween with fun illustrations. 

On Halloween, the houses give out candy but this year, Lao Ye (Lilly's grandfather) wants to throw a party using family recipes. Lilly isn't sure that the neighbors will appreciate his food; she's worried. 

Lao Ye knows that making your family dishes is what helps others become part of that family. I love this message - of friendship, community, and sharing recipes. Simply a magical story. 

Cat doesn't like Halloween - for many reasons. Could there be something Cat likes about Halloween? 

No. There's nothing Cat likes about Halloween. Cat is a mix between Grumpy Cat and Bad Kitty. The ending is sweet. 

A party is happening on Halloween - but it's hard to decide the theme. There are so many choices. What would you choose?

I love how the party turned out. The costumes are very creative. I love how the whole family celebrated together. This rhyming story is super fun!

I expect more Halloween books to be arriving at the library any day now. I always loving seeing the new holiday picture books. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Book that create happy memories

 This week's topic is Book that create happy memories. I almost don't know where
to begin. But maybe books I remember reading over and over as a child. Comfort reads. Milestone reads. 

This might be the first book I remember reading. I'm not sure why I loved it so much, but I did.

I read this in high school and loved it. My parents took me to Orchard House and I was stunned to learn that it was fiction. I really wanted Jo March to be real. (I knew it was fiction, but for some reason I thought it was the story of her life. I hated finding out there was no Laurie.)

I started reading Mary Higgins Clark in 7th grade and never looked back

My sister and I borrowed this book from my cousin. We kept it so long, I think she forgot we had it. Eventually we gave it back. I bought copies one year for my sister and I for Christmas. 

While I loved the Anne movies, I was more an Emily of New Moon reader. Loved this trilogy so hard.

I read this book until it fell apart. And then kept reading it in pieces

I read this in high school after realizing that Clueless was Emma.

Read during grad school and realized teen books are awesome - and became a teen librarian

What books create happy memories for you????

Middle Grade Review: Space Case

 

Dashiell lives on the moon - and things are ok there, but not great. The food is terrible. The bathroom situation is even worse. And there are some rich jerks living there with them. But things go from ok to terrible when a lunarnaut dies unexpectedly. 

The authorities are calling it an accident, but Dashiell believes he was murdered. The authorities do not want him talking about his theories. He sets off to discover the truth and force them to take him seriously. Someone on the moon is a murderer and Dashiell knows it's up to him to uncover the truth.

My Thoughts: Confession: I haven't read the book trilogy, but I really enjoyed this graphic novel adaptation. I love the setting - it's very unique. I'm sure I would not like to live there for an extended period of time. I enjoyed the mystery. I liked the addition of new characters to the base with incoming ship and how that changed things. The artwork is cool and very detailed. I'm super curious to see where the next book is headed. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: My library

Library Recommendation: Stuart Gibbs is super popular - a must have graphic novel for school and public library collections

Holiday Romance Book List

This list is always huge and I never have time to read them all, but...

Young Adult:

Adult:

Are there others I should add?