Mysterious Saturday Review: For Cheddar or Worse

 * 7th and final book in the cheese shop mystery * 

The cheese festival in Ohio this year, features a conference for cheese makers, cheese sellers, journalists, and even a snobby well known cheese critic.

Tensions run high at the event. It's no surprise when the cheese critic who has several enemies turns up dead - murdered.

Except her door was locked from the inside and there's no other way inside. The murderer had to be someone from the conference. With several suspects, it will be hard to narrow them down.

My Thoughts: Although I'm sad that this series is ending, I love how everything turned out. I loved seeing Charlotte and Jordan in their life together. I will miss the cheese shop and all the cheese descriptions. This series influenced me to branch out and try other cheese and visit a few cheese shops. Lots of turns and twists trying to figure out the murderer. A fantastic series that will be missed.

Cover Thoughts: Cute!
Source: I won a copy of this book.

National Princess Week

I love a good princess story, so I was happy to discover that this week is National Princess Week.

I've talked about my love of Princess books on the blog before.

In 2011, I created my list for favorite YA Princess books.

I've talked about my love for the Princess Diaries series and how it changed my life.

In a blog tour post, I talked about what bookish things I would do if I discovered one day I was a princess and money was no object

When Princess Charlotte was born, I created a book list fit for a Princess

And I've created these If You Like Pins:

 

Review: What You Always Wanted

* part of the If Only line *

Maddie Brooks blames her high standards for guys on her love for old movies. What guy her age can compete with Gene Kelly?

Maddie and her family move into a new town, where she meets her new neighbors. One of them becomes her best friend and the other could be her new crush (especially when she uncovers he's hiding a few secret dance moves)

But there's a reason his dance moves are a secret, and the more Maddie pushes him the more he retreats. At the moment, baseball is his one true love.

Can Maddie accept that?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book and I'm a huge fan of this line. I really liked the addition of theater in this book and the old movies. I hope that readers look up the movies that Maddie loves and discover them and pass them around. 

I really liked Angela and Tiffany. They had a great friendship and some fantastic moments.

I loved the banter between Jesse and Maddie.  

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: My Library

Final Thoughts: A fun romance with flair. If you're a romantic comedy fan, don't miss this one!

The Agency: cover reissues and contest

To Y.S. Lee, The Agency is…

A love letter to Victorian London, in all its glory and hypocrisy

A desire to see different kinds of people in historical fiction: the poor, the brown-skinned, the marginal

A teasing homage to the Victorian detective novel

A radical possibility for a poor girl in 1850s England

How I LOVED these books, let me count the ways:

1. Feisty female lead character who is a spy (also a diverse character)

2. Mary's intelligence and resourcefulness

3. The Agency is for women only

4. The romance 

5. Mary discovering her background (reminded me of Sally Lockhart)

6. James isn't going to "make" Mary do anything

7. Victorian London - love this setting

8. The action

9. The danger

10. Being in the Queen's household.

I wish there were more Mary Quinn stories but I'm really glad more people will discover them again. After I read the first one, I begged Candlewick for the ARCs of the rest. I rarely ask publishers for ARCs, but it was too hard to wait for these books to come out! Want to see what I thought of each book, check my reviews here.

Y.S. Lee has a Ph.D. in Victorian literature and culture and says her research inspired her to write Book One of The Agency trilogy. “Women’s choices were grim in those days, even for the clever,” she says. “The Agency is a totally unrealistic, completely fictitious antidote to the fate that would otherwise swallow a girl like Mary Quinn.” Y. S. Lee lives in Ontario, Canada.

http://yslee.com/

https://twitter.com/yinglee - @yinglee

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Y-S-Lee/73653078249

Need more convincing? Read a sample chapter from book #1 or listen to the audio reading.

Have I sold you on these books yet? 

Well, you're in luck! Candlewick is gifting one lucky reader a complete set (all four books). 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Princess Diaries 3: Could it be?

Could this be real? Fingers crossed that the official news comes VERY soon! I can't even tell you how happy this makes me.

Earlier this week “Princess Diaries” and “Mother’s Day” director Garry Marshall, sat down with Larry King on the Emmy-nominated series “Larry King Now.” Director Garry Marshall tells Larry King that he had a meeting with Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews to discuss the third movie in the successful franchise, a sequel to 2004’s “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.” He says, “Disney always likes to announce things, so they said ‘Gary, shut up. We’ll announce it.’”

Garry Marshall’s episode premieres Wednesday, April 27 at 11am PST/ 2pm EST on www.ora.tv/larrykingnow.

Check out this video clip where Garry Marshall talks about the meeting!

Is “Princess Diaries 3” Happening? Garry Marshall Shares New Details

“Princess Diaries” director Garry Marshall tells Larry King that he had a meeting with Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews to discuss the third movie in the successful franchise, a sequel to 2004’s “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.”

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookworm Delights

This week's topic is Bookworm delights - little things that make readers happy.

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish 

Reader/Blogger Side

1. Finding a book I've been dying to read on the library shelf

2. Books that come into the library on hold for me

3. Meeting favorite authors (and sometimes finding out they know my blog)

4. Maps - I love maps in books

5. That reader high I get when I finish an amazing book

Librarian side:

1. Ordering new books and opening up the packages, it's like Christmas

2. Talking about books with readers and discovering you like similar books

3. Finding a book that a reluctant reader wants to try

4. Having them come back and ask for more just like it

5. Learning about new books that you know readers in your library will love!

Adult Review: What We Find

 * First in a new series *

Maggie's having a bad year. Her medical practice is in trouble - from her partners and her own drama. The parents of a dead teenager are suing her. On top of that, Maggie's just miscarried and her boyfriend doesn't want to deal with her drama. He dumps her flat out. All of this combined leaves Maggie crying in the stairwell.

Her friend finds her and suggests Maggie take a few weeks off. Maggie realizes that might be the best idea and flees to her father's home. There she hopes to straighten her life around and to figure out her next steps.

Sully lives off the the trail of the Continental Divide Trails where he owns a general store mixed with camping areas. It's the perfect place to relax and unwind - until he has a heart attack.

Maggie takes great care of him, but she can't do everything herself. A man who was just passing through steps in to help her. He's a little secretive, but Cal might be just want Maggie needs.

My Thoughts: Robyn Carr came through Connecticut on her book tour and she was entertaining. I was more excited than ever to start her new series, although I fully admit to be a newbie to her books. I have read one other book before, but I haven't started her series yet. 

I really liked this book. In the beginning of the book, I felt heartsick for Maggie. But I loved how strong she was, how she didn't back down from her future, and how she took control in situations. 

I love the layers of relationship in this novel. I really liked her conversations with her father - from the teasing moments to the sweet moments where they talked about the past and how it changed them both. I liked Maggie's relationship with Walter and how she started realizing the influence he's had on her life and how she starts to finally understand him. I really liked Cal - he's strong, a thinker, a reader, and knows how to handle himself. 

I'm so looking forward to the next book in this series.

Cover Thoughts: Charming
Source: Book sent for review

Display Ideas: May

Spring is here! Flowers are blooming. Rain is upon us. Soon the grass will green up and leaves will pop out. I just returned back to the librarian world and I'm excited about making more displays. I'll still talk about ideas, but also chat about some displays that I created.

May is: 

Date your Mate Month

Display Ideas:

Pick Up Lines 
There really wasn't any friends to lovers display ideas on pinterest - if you do one, Add it!
You could take photos of TV characters who went from friends to dating.

Book Lists: Romance books or friends turned into more

Foster Care Month

Display Ideas:

Usually the YA books aren't happy on the foster care system - but that doesn't mean they aren't great characters

Books: characters in the foster care system 

Photograph Month:

Display Ideas:

I Love the banner! Could also add in pictures of cameras

Book Lists: Teen photographers

Days in May:

May 4th: Star Wars Day

Display Ideas:

May the 4th...

R2D2 Book Return

Books: Star Wars books or other books set in space

May 7th: Free Comic Book Day

Display Idea:

Get Graphic

Books: highlight your comics/graphic novel collections

May 13th: Friday the 13th

Display Idea:

Slime and/or book monster

More Slime

Books: Horror books or paranormal 

May 30th: Memorial Day

Display Idea:

WWI Memorial

Books: War books

Poetry (4)

My first novel I wrote was in verse. Every now and then I like to play around with words and form poems. It started mostly after my college class. So I thought I'd share a few with you this month. Happy National Poetry Month!

Not a day goes by

when I don't read.

Reading is the air

I breathe.

Words transport me to other worlds.

Words wrap themselves

around me

in a warm hug.

Words sooth me, so I'm never

alone. 

Where I Am Today

I'm off to the Connecticut Library Association. I'm co-presenting about how to host author visits. I've got the library portion and Karen from my favorite bookstore RJ Julia's will be talking about the book store perspective. 

I've talked about several author visits on my blog and I'm lucky to have hosted so many great ones. Just looking at all the pictures brings back so many memories. 

Tera Lynn Childs

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Kim Harrington

Books I'm Dying to Read: June Edition

Now that the weather is starting to turn more Spring like, I'm excited for the big publishing months. I can't wait to read summer romances and books about the beach, road trips, and ice cream. 

Kids:

Middle Grade:

YA:

Adult: