Review: Dolly All the Time

 

Dolly has been taking care of her family for years. She stepped up when her mom left. She stepped up when her boyfriend decided he didn't want a child. Now she's stepping up when her Dad needs help for the summer. As a teacher, it's easy for her to travel home for the summer.

She helps out in the fish shop, since help is unreliable. On a delivery, she meets Stewart Whitfield. He's the wealthy son of the Whitfield family. He's having a bad day. His car has a flat tire and he has no cell service. Plus, his finance was seen on Page 6 with another man. Dolly changes his tire for him and goes on her way.

She's unprepared for what happens the next day. Stewart calls to tell her their picture is in the paper. They've been linked together and Stewart's people made it seem like he's the one with the knowledge on how to change a tire. Dolly's amused. Stewart admits that he would like to fake date her for the summer as it's a tough time for him at work. She agrees but only because her dad's house needs a new roof. 

Their time together begins to make Dolly relax and live a little. Can she learn to lean on someone else?

My Thoughts: I loved this book. I felt badly for Dolly as she had the world on her shoulders. She just kept helping everyone around her and forgetting to take care of herself. I enjoyed her exploring her hometown again after years away. I loved the ending - and all the moments between her and her family members. Gus was charming and sweet. I love how Stewart and Dolly began to relax and get more of the life/work balance. I loved Busy - I wish she would have her own book. A companion novel.

Cover Thoughts: Adorable

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A must have romance for your public library's collection

Picture Book Review: Turtle with a Toolbox

Turtle uses all the tools in his shell to build something amazing.

I love how this book shares both the tool and what it does in a very simple way. I love how all the animals help create something amazing together. The illustrations are adorable. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I've Met

 This week's topic is authors I've met. I've been so fortunate to meet a boatload of authors because of BEA (Book Expo America - which is sadly no longer happening) and some local bookstores.

Meg Cabot

Rick Riordan

Ally Carter

Sarah Dessen

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Sarah MacLean

Aimee Friedman

Tomie dePaola

Scott Westerfeld

Jennifer Donnelly 

Brad Meltzer 

James Ponti

Shannon Messenger

Kristan Higgins 

Jennifer E Smith

Jenn McKinlay

Sarah Beth Durst

Elizabeth Eulberg

Chris Grabenstein

Janet Evanovich

Mary Higgins Clark

There are others I have met but there are no photos.

Julia Quinn

Sarah J Maas

Susanne Collins

Vashti Harrison

Ryan T. Higgins

John Green

Tim Green

Maureen Johnson

Jan Brett

Brigid Kemmerer

Richelle Mead

Stephanie Meyer

Jamie Beck

Regina Kyle

* I know I'm forgetting a bunch of people and I'm sorry for that. 

** This was SUCH a trip down memory lane!

Middle Grade Review: Burning Season

Opal's family have been living on the mountain watching for fires for as long as anyone can remember. Opal is turning 12, the age where she will start to train to eventually take over the fire lookout. But Opal has a secret - she's scared of fires. And she wishes that she could live in town with her friends.

When everything goes sideways, Opal will have to rely on her training and herself to make things right. Can she be brave when it counts?

My Thoughts: This novel in verse packs quite a punch - from raw emotions to overcoming fear. I felt badly for Opal, but I also admired her bravery. The format of this book and the action make this book a quick read. Readers won't want to put it down.

Cover Thoughts: Scary

Source: My library

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your school and public library collections

Vacation Photos: Food at Disney

We spent the day at the Food and Wine Festival last week while on vacation.

There were a few places that were not open yet that I was really disappointed about: 

The Wedge (all that mac and cheese)

Festival Favorites (S'mores milkshake)

Coastal Eats (Seafood Pot Pie)

Here's what I ate (some shared dishes):

Apple Strudel from Germany - this was good

Pollo al Marsala (chicken with potato gnocchi) from Italy - this was amazing

Belgian Waffle with cookie butter from Belgium - really good

Beer-Braised Beef from Belgium - The best of the show for me. And no one is more surprised by that than me. The beef was tender and the potatoes were so creamy

Filet Mignon from Canada - really good

Boeuf Braise (short ribs with potato cake) from France - pretty good

Spicey Black Bea Mushroom Chili from Forest and Field- Excellent

Strawberry Champagne Trifle from Simmering Sips - really good

Berry Mimosa from Simmering Sips - delightful

Also in Epcot:

School Bread - this was breakfast before the booths opened. A favorite of ours.

S'mores Brownie from the American pavilion - it was fine. Too smokey for me.

I had this for breakfast the next day - this is the Gingerbread Carmel Sandwich Cookie and it blew my mind. It was delicious. 

Other Eats at Disney:

Boston Creme Pie and - The S'mores Cup (a Halloween exclusive) from Columbia Harbor House

The Boston Cream Pie was amazing.

The S'mores Cup was too sweet for me, which is saying something.

Spring Rolls from the cart- no pictures

 I had one of each:

Pepperoni 

Cheeseburger - this was the best

S'mores cookie from Earl of Sandwich - which might be my favorite cookie in all of Disneyworld. I really love this place and I wish we had one in New England.

And I know I just said that about the cookie above, but...

Pulled Pork Fries from Flame Tree in Animal Kingdom

Gaston's Cinnamon Roll - this is raved about so I thought I would try it. 

I'm picky about cinnamon rolls because I make them.

This was really good - light and fluffy. But I felt it could have used more cinnamon.

I had lists of food to try at each park. We didn't get to them all. Lots of the items were shared. Do you have one you'd like to try?

Picture Book Reviews: Biographies

Just a few picture book biographies

Emma loved stories and was always writing them down. She created books for her friends and family. One day, she heard other people talking about immigrants. They were saying not very nice things. Emma's family were immigrants too. She worked to change their minds. When an important commission comes, they ask Emma to write important words.

This book makes me want to read more about Emma Lazarus and her words. 

Junko wanted to climb - she spent years trying to break into the old boy's network. Instead, she created an all women's team. They applied to climb Mount Everest and were accepted. It will take three years before they can climb. They are a team and they are stronger together. But of course nothing goes to plan. But she remembers her training - one step at a time.

An inspiring read about a woman who didn't quit even when things got hard. 

America feels alone, especially on the first day of school. When she's asked to share something, she loves to dream about, her mind goes blank. After spending the night reading about heroes, she has something to share about the heroes that inspired her. 

I love that books inspired her and how she chose to start again and become brave. 

Roland had dreams - big dreams. He had a lot of things he like, a lot of things he was good at, and determination to make his dreams possible.  Not everyone understood his dreams - but he was determined to become an astronaut.

This book has a great message about chasing your dreams.

Review: Meet Me Under the Lights

 

Eliza Crowley's known all over town - her family owns the baseball stadium. But there's another family with ties to the stadium. The Fultons and the Crowleys used to own it together. After some bad blood, there's been a feud between the two families ever since. But this summer, there's a bet in place. Whoever wins the season will win the stadium. 

Reed Fulton hasn't been back to town in years. But this year, he's playing on the baseball team and helping around the farm. He and Eliza used to be best friends. Seeing her again brings back a lot of memories. 

At first, they simply aggravate each other. But something changes between them. 

My Thoughts: I love how the family feud in this book echoes the play Eliza's working on. I loved Reed's grandparents. I wish they were a little more in the book. I loved the banter between Eliza and Reed. I felt terrible for Ben. I loved the small town moments - where memories happened and everyone knew everything about you. I really enjoyed this YA romance. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute but this scene doesn't happen in the book

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A fun sporty/theater romance for your YA collection