Christmas Book Review: Mint to Be

For as long as anyone in the small town can remember - it's Always been Emma and Aiden. They've been best friends for years. But that was before - before the fight, before Emma left for boarding school without saying goodbye, and before she came back to town with a new boyfriend. 

Emma and Aiden haven't spoken in months. They've sent a few texts back and forth but nothing substantial. He's had a hard time without her. 

Emma can't believe she's back. Everything looks and feels different after spending time in New York City. When Aiden and Sam finally meet - things do not go well. Emma's torn between her oldest friend and her new boyfriend. 

My Thoughts: I really liked this book - from the mint hot chocolate to the friendship between Emma and Aiden. I really enjoyed the dual POV and timeline. While the reader knows something happened between Emma and Aiden before she left, it takes a long time to uncover all that information. The only thing I didn't like in this book was Sam. He was terrible - very similar to those Hallmark movies where you never knew why the relationship was happening.  

Cover Thoughts: Adorable

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A cute holiday romance with a friends to lovers trope.

Picture Book Wednesday: Funny Animal Books

 

Here are some funny animal books:

Bunnies take over a rocket that's heading to the moon! They are a little silly (or a lot) silly. What would you do in a rocket?

I didn't realize this was part of series - this is book 4.

When a shark arrives on the farm, he's hungry. He's eating the farm animals. Who will stop him?

This has such a funny ending and no animals are harmed in this book.

This book reads front to back and back to front - and asks the question which animal is cooler. 

I love how this book works - and the tones for the illustrations are also great. 

Worm needs a new job but nothing feels right - until he spies a job for a security guard. Not everyone believes he can do the job. But someone is trying to steal the inventions - what can a worm do?

The ending is quite funny - setting this up for another book. 

Seahorse is NOT having a good day - and nothing is going to change his mind. 

Do you have a favorite snack? Or something to cuddle? What changes your mood?

Axolotl-Ella had big plans and the first step in her plan was to attend the King's festival to meet the prince. 

It's a different sort of fairy tale with a fantastic ending. 

Top Ten Tuesdays: Fall Colors

 This week's topic is autumn covers, but I'm choosing spines instead. 

Sometimes spines have their own art to them, which I appreciate. It's fun to look at something from a different angle. These are a mix of old favorites from my personal library, one just sent for review, and a few from the library.

These are also a mix of middle grade, YA, and adult books.

Books pictured:

Falling Into You

Silver Kingdom

Baby Sitter's Summer

Practically Magic

The Me I Used to Be

Grave Mercy

Girl who Could Not Dream

Court of Thorns and Roses

Crown of Midnight

Raised by Wolves

Secrets of My Hollywood Life 

Girls in Pants

Belles

Saddlehill Academy #1: Sweet and Bitter Rivals

Middle Grade Monday: Pizza Face and Fruitcake

 

Read my review for Four Eyes: Book 1

* Book 2 in the trilogy *

Rex is having a hard time growing up. He's still short. His face is breaking out. His body smells. His mom is a single mom who works hard, but they have a hard time affording food. The other guys pick on him. Rex keeps saying the wrong things to girls and his friends group implodes. He's forced to eat alone at school. Nothing is going his way.

* Book 3 in the trilogy *

Rex's friends all seem to be dating someone. He begins to date Charlotte. While she's great, there's someone else on Rex's mind. He's not sure what to do about it. He kisses a boy, but that boy pretends he doesn't exist at school. Why is love so confusing?

My Thoughts on both books: Rex struggles a lot. Middle school is the worst and everything seems to be terrible. There are so many body and emotional changes. Everything is dramatic and terrible. But everyone else is also figuring everything out. These books do a great job at reminding readers that:

1. everyone struggles

2. it's not the end of the world

3. life gets better

4. you will discover your true self

5. some people are just jerks

Rex isn't always right, but he tries. And he apologies when he's wrong. 

Cover Thoughts: Inviting

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A must have trilogy for your school and public library collections

Board Books: Halloween

Here are some Halloween Board Books; I[m hoping more come into the library in the next couple of days.

Two chicks are excited to celebrate Halloween. I love the pictures in this cute story. 

What kinds of noises do you hear on Halloween night - something sinister or just a few animal noises?

This cute story has a surprise ending. I love the sliders that make this story interactive. 

* Book sent for review

This book is about a town that LOVES Halloween. They host Halloween every night.

The town looks super cute with all kinds of shops filled with treats and tricks. The illustrations are cute and brightly colored. There's a lot to look at here! 

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