Booklist: Witchy Books

Yesterday, I talked about Meg Cabot's upcoming books: Enchanted to Meet You

It doesn't come out until September, so here are other witchy books to read while you're waiting.  

Books Include: 
 Dark Witch by Nora Roberts 
 Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell 
 Witch Please by Ann Aguirre
Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz
Hallows End by Kristen Proby
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake
Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky
Mr. and Mrs. Witch by Gwenda Bond
The Trouble with Magic by Madelyn Alt

Bookstagram: Enchanted to Meet You

Meg Cabot (one of favorite authors ever) has a new book coming out in early September.

Jessica Gold, a plus size heroine, dabbles in magic. But ever since a love spell went too far when she was in high school, she's much more careful about magic. She mostly uses her magic to help others feel good about themselves - particularly in the clothing they buy from her shop. 

No one is more surprised than her when a stranger rides into town claiming she's the Chosen One. 

Only with her help will the town be saved from disaster.

No pressure.

And Jessica's high school nemesis (also a witch) is trying to kill her.

Just another fall in West Harbor....

Mood Board:

It's a witchy, cozy, sexy read - just the kind of book you would expect from Meg Cabot. 

It's an adult book, but there are two fantastic teenage characters.

It's the start of a new series.

It's funny - witty banter. Great friendship. High school nemesis. Mean Girls. Witchy Powers.  It's charming. It's perfection. 

* ARC sent for review

Picture Book Wednesday: Plátanos Go with Everything

 

Plátanos  are the perfect food - they cheer you up when you're sad and keep you happy. They remind Yesenia's family of home - life in the Dominican Republic. Everyone in her family loves them.

There's a lot of love in this book to go with the mouthwatering food. This book is a celebration of family and plátanos. The bright colorful illustrations make this book pop.

Top Ten Tuesday: 2023 Reads

 This week's topic is sharing our most anticipated reads of 2023 from the second half of the year (July thru December). So many books here! I'm going to skip over the Christmas/Holiday Romances and do a separate post for those. 

Children's Books

Middle Grade Books:

Graphic Novels:

 

YA Books:

 

 

 

 

Adult Books:

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Already Read and Loved:

Any of these on your list? What else should I add to mine?

Graphic Novel Review: Hungry Ghosts

No one knows Valerie's secret - not even her best friend Jordan. Valerie's mom is always talking about tasting food, Valerie's weight, and the importance of not eating. It's no wonder that Valerie has an eating disorder.

She's bulimic and has been for years. But no one has noticed. Being thin is important to Valerie because 1) thin is better and 2) she's an obedient daughter.

But something devastating happens and it causes Valerie to take a good long look at herself. 

My Thoughts: This was a sad but powerful graphic novel. I felt terrible for Valerie. She dealt with a lot of emotional trauma from her mother - which led to her terrible relationship with food. I'm surprised no one discovered her secret. I enjoyed the friendship between Valerie and Jordan - especially how they talked about everything. I admire Valerie's decision about choosing herself. That's not an easy choice to make. 

Cover Thoughts: Intriguing. 

Source: My library

Library Recommendations: A powerful book that's a must have for your library's collection

If We Were Having Tea

 

I haven't done one of these posts in a long time...but here goes.

If we were having tea, I'd tell you:

1. It's that time of year again - the best and hardest time at the library. Summer reading is amazing because you get to connect with little kids, teens, and adults. You talk about favorite books and recommend books (my favorite part of my job) but you also bond at programs. It's heartwarming and amazing. But it's also really really hard. For an introvert, being social every day (because we have multiple programs every day) is draining. What is hard for you this summer?

2. I shut my Etsy shop - I usually wait until December to agonize over whether it's worth keeping open for another year or not. But there were so many hoops to jump through lately that I just didn't have patience for it anymore. But that doesn't mean I'll stop crafting.  And it does mean I'll give away most of the items I had created to holiday donation baskets where my parents live. It was a sad day for me because of course I feel like a failure, but that's just how things are sometimes. Failure is a part of life and while it sucks, I'm dusting myself off. What do you do after you fail at something?

3. I've been on a couple vacation this year, and I have one more planned for July. It's a family vacation and I haven't seen anyone in a while, so it will be nice to catch up. Are you traveling this summer?

4. I did a brave thing in terms of my writing this month. I'm finishing up a revision. I think my WIP is there - and if it doesn't hook someone's attention, maybe it's not the right time. I have another idea that I've been kicking around my brain for the past couple of years. Once the revision is done, I'm going to turn my attention towards writing that. It's a little bit different for me, but I think it will be really fun to write.  What are you goals for the summer? 

Oh and this was inspired by a post a million years ago by Jamie over at The Perpetual Page Turner

TBR Check In

 This week I shared my Summer TBR list, so it's time for a check-in from my Spring List. 

Not great.

While I did read other books, out of this list, I read:

0 middle grade

2 graphic novels

1 YA 

3 adult 

I have 8 of these books currently checked out of the library

I have read 117 books this year so far...

I do like looking back at these lists. I think it's start to help me be more aware. Sometimes we don't get the books into the library during this time. Sometimes I have other books that are due soon (or overdue) that I need to read first. 

Review: Elena Rides

 

Elena is trying to ride her bike, but she keeps falling.

This I Can Read book has a wonderful message about trying your best, picking yourself up, and trying again. Things are hard in life and we fail. It's important that kids see failure and our reaction to it. This is a great book to share. 

Library Recommendation: A must have book for your school and public library collection. 

Review: Donut Disturb

 

* Book 15 in the Bakeshop Mystery series *

Kerry and Thomas are getting married and the whole town is invited. But Kerry's father shows up unexpectedly and Kerry knows nothing will go smoothly. Unfortunately, she's right. One of the band members is murdered the morning of her wedding and her father's arrested.

The town pulls together to make it a magical day for the happy couple. Kerry and Thomas leave for their honeymoon after Kerry asks Juliet to help solve the murder. Juliet's determined to figure everything out before the couple returns. 

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed learning more about Kerry - she hasn't been an open character. I as happy for her and Thomas for their big date, even though there was a dark cloud hanging overhead. I loved the conversation between Juliet and Carlos and what that might mean for future books. I was a little behind on this series, but I'm almost caught up. This is one of my favorite cozy series - for the characters, the small town, and the mouth-watering food. 

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A series that should be in your public library! 

Picture Book Review: Farm Boots

Happy First Day of Summer 

There is lots of work happening on the farm, and lots of different choices for boots. 

This charming picture book takes place during an entire year. You can see the seasonal changes happening with the work, the produce, and the types of boots worn. This book is adorably illustrated. It contains lots of animals. There's so much here, that there's a lot to talk about. This is one to pour over. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer TBR

 This week's topic is all about our SUMMER TBR list - so for me, those are books out in July and August. I don't have as much time to read in the summer because of Summer Reading at the library. It's the busiest time of year with multiple programs every day. But sometimes it makes me guard my weekends more closely for downtime to recharge. It's kind of a crap shoot, I guess. 

Middle Grade:

Teen:

 

Adult:

 

 

Any of these on your list too?