Upcoming Review: The Art of Love and Lies

 

Rosanna can reproduce a work of art that most people can not tell is fake. Her employer sells her art to people who love to show off the art in their parlor. 

When an art exhibit opens in Manchester, she's delighted to see all the works of art. It opens her to new pieces to copy. 

And she meets a man there. Martin Harrison is in charge of the security. The two meet up often and spend their time flirting and strolling through the exhibit. Mr. Harrison is unaware of Rosanna's job. 

Given his past with criminals, he has a very black and white view of the law. In his eyes, Rosanna would be a criminal. Her forgeries deceive people. 

She comes clean to him, as she shares the exhibit has been robbed. Unbeknownst to her, her forgeries are hanging in their place. 

My Thoughts: I'm a sucker for books about art and heists. This was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the flirtation between Martin and Rosanna. I loved the descriptions of the art showcased, the moments that Rosanna was creating art, and the Queen attending the exhibit. The heist was great - lots of misdirect and secrets. Reading The Art of Love and Lies is a delightful way to spend the afternoon.

Cover Thoughts: Charming

Release Date: August 1

Source: ARC sent for review

Library Recommendation: A great romance for your collection. 

Picture Book Review: You Need to Chill

 

A little girl answers questions about her brother Bill.

This is a family story about a brother who transitioned to become a sister.

All the kids are asking about Bill.

It's handled in a very cute way with rhyming and saying that everyone needs to chill (Think Taylor Swift You Need to Calm Down vibes)

Movie Review: Dead Reckoning (Part One)

 

I saw this movie two weeks ago, here are some thoughts.

It was amazing - an almost perfect movie.

There was one fight scene that I was silly. 

But lots of action, danger, humor, and friendship moments.

And of course, a crazy motorcycle stunt and a fight on top of a train.

I've loved Hayley Atwell since her Agent Carter Days (I wish that had gotten more seasons). It was nice to see her in a blockbuster movie. 

The only problem: It's part one and the second part doesn't come out until next summer. 

Middle Grade Review: On Air with Zoe Washington

 

* Sequel to From the Desk of Zoe Washington * 

Two years have passed since Zoe Washington started a relationship with her biological father who was in jail. He's since been exonerated and is living with his mother. Zoe and Marcus work together at a local bakery. Zoe can't believe her good fortune. When Marcus mentions his dream of owning his own restaurant, Zoe is 100% on board. 

She can't wait to bake the desserts. Together they start planning. But they hit several roadblocks right off the bat. It's hard for people in prison to get a loan; they have no credit. Zoe becomes angry at the injustice of it all - so once again she takes matters into her own hands. 

Zoe and Marcus decide against opening a restaurant and instead attempt to open a food truck. They start a Kickstarter page. But will it be enough?

My Thoughts: I loved the first book and this book was also amazing. I loved that there was a time jump. I loved that it kept the elements of the first book: baking and the justice system. It was great seeing old friends again and how they have grown. I loved Zoe and Marcus's time together. But it was also great seeing her navigate her relationship with Marcus in terms of her other relationships. Zoe is so determined and impressive. You can't help but root for her! I love how everything turned out!

Cover Thoughts: Adorable

Source: My library

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

Board Books: Get Moving!

Just a few books about mindfulness and moving!

Bright colors mixed with yoga poses makes this book a winner.

The end of the book has a spread of all the poses.

Guess the animals by their dancing feet! Lots of different ways to try out dancing here - love that the end pages uses them all. 

Learning how to breathe is important. This little bunny needs help finding her breakfast to get ready for the day. Along the way, she uses her breathing technique to help. 

Picture Book Wednesday: One Day

 

A parent's wish for her baby boy.

This book is super sweet and adorable. The illustrations are soft and warm and magical. A perfect book for parents to share with their little ones. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Holiday Romances

 

Since it's the 25 and it falls on a Tuesday, I'm sharing the holiday romances that I can't wait to read

Upcoming Books:

Older Books to Still Read:

I know it's a lot of books and I'm never going to be able to read them all.

But also what am I missing from this year's releases? 

Movie Review: Cloudy with a Chance of Christmas

 

* Lifetime movie 2022

Bridget Torres is a prominent national news weather forecaster who comes to the magical, wintry town of Leavenworth, Washington, where Christmas traditions prevail each holiday season. This year, Bridget has been asked by her network to announce a special “snow-cast” at the annual Christmas Eve festival and has brought her boss Lisa along with her. Bridget’s plans to shine are foiled when a talk show host from her network arrives to join her for the broadcast. Drake Kincaid, as it turns out, refused to hire Bridget as his co-host for their morning show a year earlier, making tensions high. The unlikely duo soon finds themselves falling for each other, but when Bridget finally discovers why Drake didn’t hire her, their romance is put to the test. Stars Valery Ortiz, Nicole Bilderback, and Brandon Quinn (summary from Lifetime).

This was a joy to watch - the movie was cute, but I loved the setting. I was in Leavenworth last year, so it was fun to see all the places we had been. The Gingerbread Factory was a real favorite! The Leavenworth Reindeer Farm was amazing! They had filmed the movie before we visited, but it aired after. It's the first movie I've seen a significant amount of the setting! 

Highly recommend both the movie and the Christmas town.

Christmas Board Books

It's Christmas in July week here on the blog - here are some cute board books that came into the library last year that I didn't get a chance to talk about yet...

This reindeer is grumpy - but learns a lesson in kindness that changes his outlook on everything - including friendship and Christmas.

A cute story with a great message. The cover is cute as the grumpy face changes to a happy face. 

Santa and the elves are busy getting ready for Christmas.

A cute story about the North Pole and all the tasks to accomplish.

A sweet story about grandmothers and their grandkids baking different types of cookies together.

There's so much love in this book. It's sweet and adorable. The illustrations are great. Plus, there's a recipe for cookies at the end. Highly recommended! 

One little girl desperately wants to say good night to Santa - she ends up saying good night to lots of animals.

This is a cute story - the illustrations are lovely. They aren't quite black and white, but they have limited colors. The moon on the front lights up with a light. 

Santa visits children in this story.

Another cool feature with this book - the stars are glow in the dark. This one was charming - I loved the before and after scenes. The book set up isn't exactly flaps, but they aren't full pages either. Hoping this holds up with library users. 

A favorite character hides amongst Christmas trees.

Clever and cute. I love how all the trees are different. Perfect for fans of the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

All the things to love about Christmas. 

A great board book - filled with lots of colorful illustrations. There's so much to see here. Plus there's a lump of coal to find on every page. Not much text, which makes this one a good read-aloud for storytimes. Highly Recommended 

Christmas Eve is busy with so much fun!

Another great read-aloud for storytime. Charming illustrations. This book packs a lot of fun and Christmas traditions into just one day! Highly Recommended