Puppy Update

Some more puppy pictures for you. She's Growing! 

Still likes to share a bed

Eating her first custard

Which toy to choose?

Tuckered out

Sleeping funny

In My Shop: Christmas in July

It's Christmas in July at my shop, you can order a few things ahead of time.

Don't forget to use coupon code BOOKNERD17 for a small discount.

Snowglobe Necklace:

Harry Potter Ornaments:

Gift Tags:

These are just a few. I have more ornaments up, so take a look. Plus of my other items make great gifts too! 

Review: Lights, Camera, Middle School!

Now in middle school, Babymouse joins the film club. She wants a shot at being famous. The club will be making a film. But the club can't decide on what type of movie to make: romance, drama, or detective. Babymouse wants to combine them all and make an epic film.

For her contribution in getting everyone on board, the club adviser awards her the role of Director. Plus since it's her vision, Babeymouse gets to write the screenplay.

Excited about the prospect, Babymouse goes hog wild creating her vision. But she forgot to think about what her vision will mean for everyone else. Can they really shoot a scene in Paris? What about those elephants? How big is their moving making budget anyways?

My Thoughts: Alternating between text and graphic novel panels, Babymouse hasn't changed much. Sure she's older, but she's the still lovable mouse who has problems with her whiskers, trouble with her locker, and gets carried away. I loved watching Babymouse struggle to figure out how to make the movie. I love how her friends and club members took their roles seriously. Of course Babymouse lets her power go to her head, but it's funny and sweet when it all works out. I adore Babymouse and can't wait to read more about her middle school drama.

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: Book sent for review

Library Recommendation: Scoop this one up, your readers will thank you. 

The Great British Baking Show

For the past two weeks, I've fallen down the rabbit hole of The Great British Baking Show (seasons 2 and 3). And it makes me want to bake...Everything.

It also makes me realize I could never be a baker on the show. And here's why:

I'm a traditional baker

 I don't play around and experiment with baking

When I do change a recipes, it's mostly because of spices I don't like

 I don't make up my own recipes

 I don't recognize many of the desserts they make

 I would lose it under that intense pressure

 They shoot the show in Britain (different measuring system)

I wouldn't want baking not to be fun anymore

I don't think I could handle Paul's criticism 

Clearly I wouldn't measure up, but it's fun to think about. 

But now I'm also critical of baking - in a Paul and Mary sort of way. But only just for fun.

Here's my most recent bake:

Blueberry Buckle:

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Adult books for 2017 (So far)

This week is another freebie week, so I thought I'd continue with my lists of best books I've read so far this year. This week it's adult fiction. Enjoy!

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish 

Review: Once and For All

Louna's mom owns a wedding planning business with her best friend. Louna's seen it all - couples that won't last, couples that argue over the silliest things, and couples that just might stand a chance. Combined with that knowledge and the fact that Louna's first love ended in tragedy, she's not sure she believes in love.

When the annoying brother of a bride Ambrose worms his way into the planning business, Louna isn't thrilled. Ambrose, a serial dater, flirts with everyone.

The two of them come up with a bet. Louna needs to go on lots of first dates, but only first dates while Ambrose needs to date only one girl for seven weeks. Both of them think it will be easy - but both are wrong.

My Thoughts: I adore Sarah Dessen books and this one was amazingly good. I love few easter eggs I saw and I'm sure there are more that I missed. I liked the banter between Ambrose and Louna. I loved William and the dog. Both of them added humor to the story. I liked learning more about Louna's first great love and how that changed her. I loved the terrible first dates. I loved the writing, there were many spots where I went back to re-read the sentences because they packed a punch both in sentiment and in craft. Another winner from Sarah Dessen.

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: My Library
Fun Fact: My boss got me a signed copy at ALA!

Library Recommendation: Buy this one for all libraries. It's a must have. 

YA Stands For

This is #IReadYA week 

I've written about my love for YA several times. You can read them here.

But this year feels different to me. Maybe it's all the talk about diversity in the field or maybe it's all the terrible political news.  

I really thought there would be the first woman President in the White House this year. And because of that, my reading shifted a bit. I've gravitated towards feminist reads. Here's a few favorites from past years.

Girls who rescue themselves

Girls who save the world

Girls who kick ass

I read these books. I buy them for the library collection. I talk about them online. And I try to put them into the hands of other readers. Because it IS important. It's something that I can do. With enough females acknowledging our powers, we Can change the world.  

And I look for authors with similar values. I don't have to look too far. 

Twitter has become so much more political in this last year. There used to be a time when authors didn't talk politics. That's no longer possible. With this country in a downward spiral, I'm happy authors are voicing their opinions and sharing tips to try to change our world.