Review: You with a View

 

Noelle is reeling from the loss of her grandmother. She's unemployed and living at home with her parents. She used to love taking pictures, but she's lost her confidence. When she learns that her grandmother had a secret life before her marriage, she's curious. She has a photograph. In a hail mary, she posts a video on TikTok.

To her surprise, she learns that the man in the photograph is the grandfather of her high school nemesis. She learns that her grandmother was engaged and planned a road trip honeymoon. With nothing on the horizon, she decides to follow the trail. The grandfather, Paul, and her nemesis Theo are all traveling together. What could go wrong?

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I felt for Noelle and for the loss of her grandmother. I was close to my grandmother too. I loved her conversations with Paul. The banter between Theo and Noelle. The social media aspects were fun. I loved the conversations about photography and how Noelle found her confidence again. I had heard great things about this book, and I wasn't disappointed. 

Cover Thoughts: Adorable

Source: Purchased

Library Recommendation: A great romance for new adult readers. 

Review: Falling Like Leaves

 

Ellis has a lot of expectations for her senior year, but moving from Manhattan to Bramble Falls, Connecticut is not one of them. Yet in the wake of her parents' separation, that's exactly where she and her mother are headed.

Bramble Falls might be charming, but it's also full of distractions. Like local barista Cooper Barnett, Ellis's one-time best friend—and first kiss—who has not only majorly glowed up but wants nothing to do with Ellis.

Then there's the Falling Leaves Festival, a month-long tourist attraction run by Ellis's aunt—celebrating everything autumn. The festival seems nice and all, but Ellis doesn't have time to be roped into her aunt's enthusiastic planning. Dragged to each event, she can't stop bumping into Cooper, the one person she's hoping to avoid.

But the longer she stays in Bramble Falls, the harder it is to pretend she's not falling for this town and the people in it. As her return to Manhattan gets pushed further and further out, Ellis is forced to confront exactly what she wants for her future—and what that means for her present. - Summary from the publisher

My Thoughts: I adored this book. So many things to love:

Small town Charm

Second Chance Romance

Work/Life Balance

Great BFF (loved the dead body comments)

The cookies - it really made me want to bake

All the Fall Festival Activities

I didn't want this book to end; it's just magical.

Goodreads says it's the first in a series and I REALLY want that to be true.

Cover Thoughts: Charming

Why I Read This: First the cover and 2nd- Jessica Burkhart recommended it.

Source: My Library (but I did get an ARC for review the same week)

Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your teen romance collection - especially since there aren't that many fall romance books.

Hand This To: Fans of PSL and Gilmore Girls 

I went to a Taylor Swift party at the local bookstore and bedazzled the leaves in the trees:

Cute right?

Picture Book Review: Halloween Books (3)

Just a few more Halloween books:

If you're a fan of the original book, you will enjoy this spin-off

I enjoyed how many of the letters have costumes. The ending was sweet.

A fresh spin on the Goldilocks story with a fun Halloween twist.

Beverley the bat is lonely. She's so happy when humans show up at the house. But they do not enjoy her welcome treats. 

* While this isn't technically a Halloween books, it does work.

The cars aren't sure about a ride through a haunted graveyard. Someone might be a little scared, but the message is great. 

It's Halloween and the monsters want to share their cake with the neighbors. They go door to door and learn about different holiday traditions (which are shared in the back of the book). A sweet community story

Top Ten Tuesday: Non-bookish Hobbies

 This week's topic is non-bookish hobbies.

We did this topic 5 years ago, I confess my answers haven't changed much since then...

Besides reading and blogging which to be honest takes up most of my free time, my hobbies include:

Painting:

I haven't done much lately.

Puzzles:

I haven't done much lately

Writing:

I wrote an article in SLJ about Teen Summer Romance books that came out this year.

Hiking

Another hiking year: Grand Canyon (rim to rim) and Acadia 

Traveling:

Nantucket

Bar Harbor, Maine

Grand Canyon

Snoqualmie, WA

Vermont

Florida

Hanging with Friends:

Lots of friendship moments this year. 

Hanging out with my dogs - on the porch or walking

Taking Pictures 

Baking:

Recent bakes: apple crisp, pumpkin chocolate chip bread, and applesauce.

I love fall baking! 

Watching Movies/TV to relax 

I do a fair amount of knitting to keep my hands busy while watching TV.

What do you like to do outside of reading/talking about books?

Board Books

Just a few new board books that have arrived at my library:

Little Bunny needs a story before bed and asks so many animals for a story. They find the perfect fall story. I loved this book about nature and fall. 

A board book about dinosaurs - this is such a fun book with bright illustrations. 

These books are so charming, sweet, and beautifully illustrated. 

* I ordered this from another library because I love this series

5 different dinosaurs and their characteristics. I love the brightly colored illustrations.

This is an adorable book all about axolotls - and it's stinking cute! I loved the different "types" of axolotls. My favorite is of course: booxolotl. The illustrations are adorable. 

What does home look like? There are so many different types of homes. I love the message in this book. 

Picture Book Review: Biographies

Just a few picture book biographies new to my library:

I didn't know much about Yo-Yo Ma, so I was happy to read and learn about him. I didn't know that he started learning the cello at such a young age. Or that he came from a musical family. 

I really loved the messages shared in this book - everyone is born with a gift.

I have to ask, what's YOUR gift?

Two friends turned rivals try to figure out how to climb never before climbs in Yosemite National Park. They had different philosophies about climbing and the environment. I love how it ended.

I hike, but I've never scaled rocks like these two. There is some back matter, which is great. I really loved this book - about the differences between the two. The illustrations are fantastic.

I'm a big fan of Caitlin Clark and was so happy to read this one. I learned why she chose number 22. I didn't know that she's a baker. I'm also looking forward to her being back next season. This book has adorable illustrations. 

* I read the Taylor Swift book and loved it. And there are more books in the series.

Mood Board: Planning Perfect

I finally read this book, and it was a really fun read. I wasn't sure how to capture my thoughts in a review, so I made a mood board instead. It's set in an apple orchard, but takes place in the summer.