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: Today

Time can take forever or fly by in a blink. Summer is finally here and it's time for cousins and family and fun. 

The illustrations are charming. I can feel the summer sun as I look through them. I want to be at the lake with this family too. There is a note at the end from author about being in the present and mindfulness.

Picture Book Wednesday: Love Makes a Garden Grow

A beautiful story about family, flowers, and love. I love how this little girl ties the memory of her grandfather's flowers to love - when they are apart AND when they are together. The illustrations are lovely. 

This one made me miss my grandmother, who also loved flowers. It will make you hug your loved ones close. 

* Book sent for review

 

Spooky Review: Lumberjackula

Jack has to choose his secondary school - his parents are determined to leave the choice up to him. But with one parent a vampire and one a lumberjack, it's hard to know which school to choose. Neither the Mighty Love Lumberjack Prep nor the Sorrow's Gloom Vampire Academy feel right to Jack. He's not sure there's a third option until he meets a new friend. She attends Tip Tap Twinkle Toes Dance Academy. When he visits, he falls in love. But how can he tell his parents he's not choosing either of their schools?

My Thoughts: This graphic novel is clever. I loved the different schools. I admire Jack for figuring out what he liked and going after it. I liked that he enjoyed bits and pieces of all the schools. Lots of great family and friendship moments. I hope there are more adventures with these characters.

* It's not really spooky - but because Jack is half vampire, there are some vampire moments. Which makes it perfect to read all year round, but especially during October. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: Book sent for review

Library Recommendations: Highly recommended for your school and public library 

Picture Book Review: I Will Not Eat You

Theodore lives in a cave where other animals venture inside, but instead of eating them, he sends them on their way. But when a boy approaches his cave - all best are off. 

Another fun book - and a fun read aloud. I love the idea of a hangry dragon picture book. It was funny and sweet and entertaining. I loved the friendship angle. 

Perfect for school and public libraries. 

Review: Out of Tune

When Maya's loses his job, money becomes tight. With her mother able to work from anywhere, her parents decide to chase their dreams. They sell their house and purchase an RV - they can travel around the country. Maya's devastated at losing her best friend and leaving Nashville weeks before try outs for Dueling Duets, a signing competition that could make her career.

Maya can't believe her bad luck especially since she had the perfect partner in Jack (the cutest boy in school). Now she's making a list of ways to get back home. Except all the ideas are terrible, but Maya's determined to make it home before the big day.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I felt bad for Maya for missing out on the competition. I loved watching her struggle to find a way back home and how nothing ever worked out the way she thought it would. I really liked Shiver and Bug and Remy. I loved seeing the sights through Maya's eyes. But I know it would be super hard to pack all my books into a RV and hard to live there with little to no privacy. Of course Maya makes a ton of mistakes, but she has a good heart that leads her to discover the important things.

Cover Thoughts: Love
Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: Perfect for tween collections in schools and public libraries, especially those in need of more artsy books. 

Mini Review: This is Our Story

It's been 10 years since Taylor Swift had her first song debut on the radio. She's only grown since then.

The Good:
* I learned a lot about Taylor Swift
* I couldn't put the book down
* Great pictures
* Reading this made me want to go back and listen to her songs - ALL of them

The Bad:
* No photo captions
* Some of the interviews were too similar

Final Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book and I think fans will love it.

I remember the first time I heard Taylor Swift - I was driving home from work when I still worked in Rhode Island (I had an hour drive). I heard Tim McGraw and instantly fell in love. I knew the girl signing that song was going to be huge. What I adore about her songs is that they tell a story.

I've been trying to think of my Top Ten Favorite Songs of Taylor Swifts and it's really hard.
Long Live
Enchanted
Begin Again
All Too Well
22 
Fifteen
Shake it Off
Last Kiss
Back to December
Red
Out of the Woods
Starlight

See it's just impossible. Too many great stories in these songs.

Are you a Taylor Swift fan? Which song is your favorite?

Review: Sleeping Beauty Killers

 * Book 4 in the Under Suspicion series * 

Casey Carter's spent years in jail for a crime she claims she didn't commit. Upon gaining her freedom, she tracks down Laurie Moran and asks her to take on her cold case for her television show.

Laurie isn't sure it's the greatest idea, but she feels for the girl who was sleeping while her fiance was murdered. Everyone treats Casey as though she's guilty - even her own parents believe she killed her fiance in a fit of rage. But Casey's not stopping until she uncovers the truth.

Will all the  questions about the past force someone to break?

My  Thoughts: I adore this series. I love the television aspect and seeing the back ground research for the show. I love how everything comes together. I was a bit worried about Laurie's new partner, but I think he might work out just fine. I like how Casey stuck to her innocence throughout the book, never wavering. I felt terrible for her that no one believed her, including her parents. I uncovered the truth before the heroine did, but it did not make the book any less enjoyable. I devoured this book in one sitting. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Cover Thoughts: Love it - it's striking
Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: This series is a must have for Public Libraries.

Tween Tuesday Review: Sleepover

Meghan's never spent the night away from home, but this time she's excited to have an adventure with her two best friends and Anne Marie's almost step-sister.

Meghan's friends want it to be an EPIC adventure.

And it is.

When Meghan wakes up the next morning, the basement is is destroyed. But Meghan and her friends don't remember anything about the night before. Worse, the birthday girl Anne Marie is missing.

Can they retrace their steps from the night before to recover their memories and find their friend?

My Thoughts: I loved this book. The tagline: tween version of the Hangover comes across flawlessly. It's funny, sweet, entertaining, and hits all the right notes. I love how Anne Marie and Veronica come together. I love the small romance plot. I love how Meghan  comes out of her shell. I even enjoyed the little brother's antics - as a younger sibling myself, I can understand them to a degree. I love how this book tackles important issues while surrounded by a super fun premise.

Cover Thoughts: Love the idea, not crazy about it though
Source: Book won from Twitter
Library Recommendation': highly recommended for Children's or Tween collection

Final Thoughts: Entertaining and a whole lot of fun. Just perfect for reading during the summer.

Guest Post: Dorothy Hearst

About the Book: 

Before the wolves barged in the door, demanding that their story be told, Dorothy Hearst was a senior editor at Jossey-Bass, where she published books for nonprofit, public, and social change leaders. She currently lives, writes, and plays with dogs in Berkeley, California. Spirit of the Wolves, the third and final title in the Wolf Chronicles, will be released December 2. For more information, and to download free CCSS-aligned discussion questions for all three novels, visit her website: dorothyhearst.com.

 The Cool Scientific Theory Behind The Wolf Chronicles by Dorothy Hearst

 The Wolf Chronicles trilogy tells the tale of how the wolf became the dog from the wolf’s point of view, and follows Kaala, a young wolf living 14,000 years ago who discovers that she’s destined to bring wolves and humans together. 

It’s the story of Kaala’s adventures and coming of age, but it’s also the story of our own evolution and, in particular, a really cool and controversial scientific theory about it: wolf-human coevolution.

Coevolution is the process by which two or more species mutually affect one another’s evolution. Wolf-human coevolution is the idea that wolves—and later dogs—played an important role in our evolution and vice versa. (Every dog living today is the descendant of wolves.) It may even be that wolves were part of the reason we became such a dominant species. 

Some people believe that this is as simple as wolves giving us more time to begin farming by hunting with us and by guarding our homes. Some believe it goes much further—that wolves taught us (by example) to hunt cooperatively, have centralized meeting places, and form complex societies. DNA evidence shows that wolves have been around us for at least 40,000 years and maybe as long as 150,000 years, which means that they may have been hanging out with us for much of the time we’ve been human.

Wolves are also a lot like us. They live in extended families. They take care of wolves that are too old to hunt, and the whole pack raises the pups. They love each other and fight with each other in ways that look very familiar to any family or group of friends. It makes sense that their dog descendants fit so well into our lives. 

Reading about all of this fascinated me, and it’s what convinced me to write about the wolves. I wondered: what if wolves domesticated us as much as we domesticated them? What would happen if at every turning point in our evolution, the wolves were there? What if they were why we developed language? What if they were why we survived instead of the Neanderthals? All of these ideas intrigued me.

From there, I left what was known behind and moved into making stuff up. I thought it would be interesting if the wolves were aware of the fact that they were changing us, and were doing so on purpose. Then they needed to have legends to explain this, so I made up those legends. Kaala’s story became part of a larger one. She wanted acceptance into her pack and to keep the humans and wolves from fighting with each other, but her story was also about how we evolved to be what we are now—and how we may or may not evolve enough to survive the future.