If we were having tea

 

I'm trying to be a little more personal on the blog, so for the second time in a month, let's chat honestly.

I'm still deep in Summer Reading. The summer is half over and it's been really busy. But it's also been full of meaningful moments and getting to see some favorite families now that they have more time. It's nice to catch up with everyone. Who do you need to catch up with?

It's the family reunion week and because of work obligations and being down a full-time person, I'm not attending this year. I will miss the ocean and catching up with all the people and the ice cream. Guess it's time to take a trip to Mel's! What's your favorite ice cream flavor?

It's almost Christmas in July and that makes me want to get started on crafting ideas for the holidays and making Christmas cards. I might have listened to a few Christmas songs recently. I make my Christmas cards, and I send out a lot to family and friends and author friends, so I get started early because they can take a long time. I just bought some new stickers/washi tape and I'm eager to play with them. When do you start holiday crafting?

I've also started reading Christmas romance books - from Netgalley and I'm pretty excited about all the ones coming out this year, especially the number of YA books. I'm not trying to rush over fall (which is my favorite season), but Christmas in July does hit me. Plus, there are so many great looking ones, I never get a chance to read them all. Do you read Christmas romances books all year round or save them for the holiday season?

The produce scare has been changing up my eating habits. I did pick blueberries from a local orchard last weekend. And I used the last of them to bake blueberry buckle (a favorite treat my grandmother used to bake for me). I'm not sure regular berries are safe and I love having berries in my cereal in the mornings. It's also rough because this is the best time of the year for fresh produce. I love strawberries and blueberries in cereal, raspberries in baked goods, and melons. What kind of fruit is your favorite?

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

Fresh Fiction Reviews (23)

I haven't done one of these posts since last year. And I have quite a few books to share.

"From Burnout to Belonging: A Satisfying Final Visit to Rome, Kentucky"

"Calling all Anne girls"

"A Typewriter. A Wish. Consequences No One Saw Coming."

"Tennis Anyone?"

"An insider's look at Buckingham Palace"

"So much love for the library cozy series"

"Fun Fresh Rom-Com"

"Murder in a Small Town"

"The Perfect Summer Read"

"Fantastic start to a new series"

Painting Evolution

 In order to have a finished painting - usually the process for me involves several previous paintings. 

For instance a house:

A window or outside the house:

Outside building (still needs improvement)

Some of these are copies of pictures, some are copies with my twist, and some are just paintings from my head. But almost always there are several before pictures and some okay pictures and some good ones.

I learn from the mistakes I make or mistakes I see in the final product. 

It also means I have a boatload of paintings just hanging around my house. And I’m not sure what to do with most of them. 

Thoughts?

Review: Drop Dead Famous

 

Stevie's sister Blair is coming home. She's a super famous pop star. But on the evening of the concert, she's found dead - murdered. Stevie knows she should let the police handle it, but they never found her cousin who went missing and they never found the person who killed a local teen. She doesn't have a lot of faith in the police, even though her father used to be one.

Instead, she and her new friend Colby start investigating. Stevie and Blair used to be really close, but the fame changed Blair. Stevie doesn't know her sister anymore. The more she looks into her sister's death - the more she realizes there are a lot of secrets. Secrets that maybe should stay buried...

My Thoughts: I really loved this book - I loved all the secrets, the twists and turns, and the danger. I loved the new friendship between Stevie and Colby. Yes, this book is long, but it didn't feel long. I loved Stevie's determination to uncover the truth - especially after everything that's happened in the past. 

Cover Thoughts: Perfect

Source: ARC sent for review

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your teen's school and public library collection. 

Picture Book Review: Street Through Time

 

This nonfiction picture book is fascinating. It takes the same European street by the river and showcases it throughout time periods in history. It starts with settlements and you can see how things change but also stay the same. You can see the influence of other cultures. You can see how quickly things go poorly. I love how the illustrations look inside the buildings. (I like the puzzles that do this too). This is a book to pour over and notice all the little details. It might even spark some research questions. 

Top Ten Tuesday: New to Me Authors

 This week's topic is Books I Want to Read by New to Me Authors 

Any of these on your list? Or have you read them?

Middle Grade Review: Goodbye French Fry

 

Ping-Ping's having a hard time. At school, there's a boy bullying her. Her father might get a new job - in Korea. Her little brother Xy is worried about moving. She's 100% American but doesn't feel like it. She doesn't feel Chinese either. Why can't life be easy for once?

My Thoughts: There's a lot of drama in this book - friendship, family, and school. I felt really bad for Ping-Ping and all her troubles - especially the bullying. I wanted to wrap her and Xy in big hugs. But I admired the way they handled themselves. 

Cover Thoughts: Powerful

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your school and public libraries.