On Vacation

Hey everyone, I'm taking a vacation from work and from the blog for a week or so. See you when I get back!

Picture Book Review: A Loud Winter's Nap

Tortoise likes to sleep through the winter, but everywhere he goes, someone is making too much noise! Will he be able to find a nice quiet place?

Oh, I enjoyed this one. I love winter and now Tortoise does too. I love how he starts off grumpy but begins to enjoy winter. I love all the animals making noise and having fun. And that ending is super sweet. 

An enjoyable read that's perfect for sharing. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Hidden Gems

This week's topic is hidden gems or Quiet YA (books that have flown under the radar), but that are amazing and need to be shared. I'm picking from books I've read this year that I feel could use a little more love. These were excellent books that have so much in them to discuss.

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish 

Feminist Reads

Graphic novels: bullies and friends

messed up family life

fantastical reads

Have you read any of these?

Middle Grade Review: Keys to the City

Lindy isn't thrilled about her homework for the summer. She's supposed to figure out her true passion in hopes of making things easier when it comes time to pick out high schools. Lindy doesn't know her passion and she's jealous of some of her friends who seem to have it figured out.

Plus, her parents moved across town to open and Bed and Breakfast. They're fighting all the time because no one has booked a reservation.

Lindy's new friend Tyler is visiting his grandmother for a month because his parents are going through a rough patch. Meeting him makes Lindy worry about her parent's future. 

My Thoughts: I really liked this one, which isn't a surprise because I love this author. I liked that Lindy is adopted. It adds to the drama about discovering her passion, making her wish she knew more about her birth parents. I love how Lindy looked around the city for her passion with the help of a family friend. I loved her friendship with Tyler and of course his dog. I loved Lindy's journal writing. I liked how Lindy doubted herself, but came to realize her strengths. Another great middle grade read.

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: My Library
Companion to MY SECRET GUIDE TO PARIS

Library Recommendation: Grab this one and hand it to kids who are unsure of their passions or filled with self doubt. 

Mini Review: The Hate U Give

Starr witnesses her best friend from the neighborhood die in font of her - murdered by the police.

The Good:
The parents.
The discussions you have around this book
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air references
The Hope
The Harry Potter References
The Horror movie joke

The Bad:
It's over!

I can't believe I haven't talked about this book before. It's amazingly good. I devoured it! It's one of my favorite books of the year and I can't wait for the movie!

Library Recommendation: A must have for every public and high school library. 

Book Loot Box

Book Loot sent me a box to check out, so I'm sharing the pictures. 

The festive box in a bright blue 

The cute box inside

I love this quote on the box.

The inside - I love the pink and purple crimped paper

A  cool bookish tattoo - from an ETSY shop

Book Inspiration: Raven Boys

A cute pin

A short story featuring Hades and Persephone

Taffy

Ocean mist, Soap, and Jasmine - it smells delicious (Also from an ETSY shop)

Inspired by Cloud Atlas 

A really cool bookmark that looks like a thin piece of wood. With a bookish quote.

Coloring pages with pencils

Book: Library of Fates

A final picture of everything in the box. 

Over all thoughts:

It was really fun opening this box and discovering the items inside. 

The  company is a husband and wife team who want to share their love of books and bookish items.

I love that they use ETSY shops for little treats!

 (One day it would be cool if I had something to add to one of the boxes from my shop)

I like that they publish short stories from their subscribers. On the back on the booklet, they give you information about how to contact them.

What a great way to be introduced to new bookish products!

Horror is the theme for their next box out in October!

Review: Just Another Girl

Hope has loved Brady for as long as she can remember. She believe that he cares for her too and that they would be together if it wasn't for his girlfriend. Hope can't stand Parker. She's too perfect.

Parker knows that Hope is crushing over Brady - just as she knows Brady would never cheat on her. Brady's the best thing about her life. Parker can't imagine her life without him.

Hope creates a club so she can spend more time with Brady before he leaves for college. She vows that she's going to be brave and share her feelings. But will her feelings get in the way of someone else's happiness?

My Thoughts: I went into this book thinking one thing and then after reading Parker's first perspective, all my preconceived notions vanished. I couldn't stop thinking about this book: about first impressions, about walking in someone's shoes, about empathy, and about things I take for granted every day. And I loved it. I loved how it made me think.My heart ached for Parker and her life. At first I really liked Hope and felt sorry for her. But my affections switched. And then I admired both girls for their growth and their willingness to see things from a different perspective. 

Clearly the relationships made this book, but I also enjoyed the Rube Goldberg machines and how the club worked on them adding bits and pieces of themselves into their machine. I love the nerdiness. of the group, especially the Tolkien quotes.

Cover Thoughts: Love it - especially the wrap around
Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Perfect for high school and public libraries. Grab this one for the empathy and the STEM references. 

Picture Book Review: What the Dinosaurs Did at School

When no one is looking, the dinosaurs get into massive trouble at school.

Another fun dinosaur book (sequel to What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night). I loved the photographs, they told the story. I loved how the dinosaurs created havoc wherever they went - like the library, the gym, the art room, and the cafeteria! Hilarious. Perfect for reading again and again while pouring over the pictures!

Top Ten Tuesday: School Books

This week's topic is school books and I'm going with middle grade reads. Enjoy!

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish 

Want to Read:

Mini Review: Project You

Feeling stressed?

This book shares 50 ways to calm down, change up your routine, and find your balance.

The Good:
Lots of great ideas
A variety of ideas: recipes, crafts, activities, and exercise
Fun illustrations and pictures
Diverse girls shown in both pictures and illustration
Reading is mentioned several times

The Bad:
Nitpicking here - while there are a few guys in the book, most of it seems geared towards girls.

The Verdict: Grab this one for your library, perfect for students going through exams, the college application process, or any other stressful time.

Review: Any Dream Will Do

I just reviewed Debbie Macomber's new book over at Fresh Fiction (I just joined their team).

  Check out my review! 

Adult Review: Lost and Found Sisters

After bumping into a strange at the coffee shop, Quinn's stunned to discover that woman is her birth mother. She didn't know she was adopted. Nor did she know about her younger half sister.

Quinn lost her sister two years ago and she's still healing. To discover she has another sister makes her heart happy - even if her sister doesn't want her. Quinn takes time off from her job to visit her half sister and see where she lives.

Wildstone is a small town where gossip spreads faster than wildfire. But it's also sweet and charming. Quinn now owns a house and a cafe. Could she have found a second chance?

My Thoughts: I loved how Quinn met her younger sister and respected her wishes, but didn't give up either. I loved Tilly. Their moments together were amazing. Of course Cooper stole the book for me, as dogs tend to do. I loved Mick. I especially enjoyed the first two meetings with Quinn.But I love his big heart and how his hometown still held a part of his heart. This was a classic Jill Shalvis book - full of sweet moments, funny moments, and romantic moments. I loved it all and can't wait to return to Wildstone!

Cover Thoughts: Cute, but doesn't entirely match the book

Library Recommendations: As the start of a new series, grab this one for your public libraries!

Review: I See London, I See France

Sydney and her BFF talked about traveling to Europe, but Sydney doesn't want to leave her agoraphobic mother.When Leela's boyfriend kisses another girl, she begs Sydney to travel with her instead.

The two have them have four and a half weeks in Europe with a starting point (London), some plans for France, and leave from Rome. But the rest of the trip is open.

Where will they go? What will they do? And which boys might they kiss?

My Thoughts: God I loved this book. It reminded me of my traveling days  (I did a semester abroad in Bath, England in college). I liked how they had wiggle room in their travel plans. I loved reading about all the sights. 

I loved the romance. 

Leela's behavior annoyed me at times. But I'm glad they took this trip together and had time to readjust their friendship. 

I felt terrible for Sydney and how she took care of her mother, sometimes putting her life on hold. 

I also love how these girls are in college.

Cover Thoughts: Adorable
Source: Book sent for review

Library Recommendation: Grab this one for your YA section. It's a must have for public libraries. 

Reading this book made me want to travel, so I made a top ten list of places I'd like to go (or maybe go back to).

Back to:

Wales

Paris

Rome 

Florence

Never Been:

London

Scotland

Greece

Netherlands

Austria

Switzerland

Where would you travel to?

Picture Book Review: If My Love Were a Fire Truck

All the ways a father loves his son.

I love the rhymes. I love how the father and son explore the world and find it full of love. I love the illustrations; they are amazing. It's a very sweet read perfect for all dads with sons and wonderful for libraries.  

Top Ten Tuesday: Road Trip Books

This week's topic is Book Recommendations. I'm choosing Road Trip Books -because I love them. There are several still in my TBR pile, but here are some I really enjoyed!

- meme from The Broke and the Bookish 

Teen and Middle Grade

Adult: