Month: October 2019

REVIEW: What Was Stonewall? by Nico Medina

REVIEW: What Was Stonewall? by Nico Medina

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Stonewall was a gay bar in New York City in the late 1960s. It was also the site of a riot between gay patrons, protesters, and police when the bar was raided for violating the liquor license law. The police were really trying to deal with the mafia owners of the club, but the liquor license issues were a simple way of getting to them.

The riot at the Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969 became a rallying point for the LGBTQ+ community and led to marches and changes to the nation’s laws. What Was Stonewall? covers a brief history of the gay community and the ways gay people and their allies have pursued social justice for the whole community.

Review

When I first saw the cover for this book earlier this year, I had to go searching for the title’s answer. I had never heard of Stonewall. By June of this year, the 50th anniversary, I was more familiar with the event. But I was still curious what information could be gleaned from this resource.

I enjoy this whole line of nonfiction books. They are relatively short (this is 107 pages with illustrations on each spread), and make for a good introduction for elementary and middle school readers on a vast number of subjects.

This covers the Stonewall riot pretty well. Only a handful of people are noted by name. Three chapters cover the uprising. The rest set the event in an historical context and talk about how the LGBTQ+ community continued to organize and pursue rights like employment security, the ability to serve in the military, and the right to marry. These are still timely topics today as the Supreme Court is hearing discrimination cases right now.

The language bounces from formal (defining terms, etc) to casual (“Heads were busted.”). And some topics are covered so quickly that it left me with a slight feeling of reading whiplash. I think this is a decent starting point for readers and adults interested in providing some LGBTQ history. But those longing for a meaty, nuanced discussion might find this lacking.

Rating: ♥♥♥½

BOOK NEWS: October 22, 2019

BOOK NEWS: October 22, 2019

Posted on by Jaymie

Week 4 in October is a bit smaller than previous weeks, but there are still some great books to watch for.

Books for Kids

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story – A celebration of the modern Native American family centered around this yummy cultural staple.
Star Wars: The Ultimate Guide to the Galaxy Pop-up – One of the most expensive “kids books” I have probably ever posted. This is listed here because it is a pop-up Book, but at a $60-85 price tag, it’s one you want to keep away from the kiddos. An elaborate celebration of all 11 movies.
The Missing Tooth Fairy – Book 15 in the darling Sophie Mouse early chapter book series. When the tooth fairy doesn’t come to collect Sophie’s first lost tooth, she wonders what she did wrong – or if the Tooth Fairy is missing!

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Cats vs. Robots: Now with Fleas – Book 2 in the series. Cats and Robots are on the verge of war – and they’ll fight it out on Earth if the Wengrod family can’t save the day.
The Dragon Thief – Book 2 in the Dragons in a Bag series. When Jaxon goes to return the three baby dragons to the realm of magic he discovers his best friend’s sister has taken one of them for her very own.
The Message of Destiny – Book 2 in the Knights Club “Comic Book You Can Play” series. You can see my review of book one here.
The Quest for the Golden Fleas – Book one in the new Zeus the Mighty series. A pet store owner gives all the pets names from the Greek gods and goddesses, but Zeus’ name may have gone to his head.
Restricted Access – Book 3 in the Tom Swift Inventor’s Academy series. Tom and his friends are locked in quarantine when a lock-in turns into a lock down.
Revenge of the Red Club (Older Middle Grade) – The Red Club is a group of girls who support each other through their monthly periods. When the school shuts the club down, the girls protest and a tween reporter uses her writing to push for change.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Graphic Novel – While you can get these in a hardcover volume for each trilogy, you can also just get them movie by movie. I adore the artwork by Alessandro Ferrari for these.
A Storm of Wishes – Book 2 in the Collector’s series. After discovering that wishes can come true – and almost dying twice for it, Van and his mom move to a quiet community to get a break, but their new community is home to a powerful Wish Eater whose wishes can cause major disaster.
Tales from a Not-So-Best-Friend-Forever – Book 14 in the Dork Diaries series. Nikki gets stuck with her nemesis as her roommate on her band’s summer tour.
Track series box set (Older Middle Grade) – Collects Ghost, Patina, Sunny and Lu by Jason Reynolds in one collection
The Escape of Light – A teen scarred by burns and dealing with the loss of his father gets a fresh start at a new school. But he’s holding a secret and a plan to fix his disfigurement, and they may cost him more than he can imagine.
I Hope You Get This Message – A distant planet is sending messages to Earth, and if we are interpreting them correctly, they say our planet will be destroyed in 7 days. Three teens respond to that news in different ways, including two who wonder if they have enough time to reconcile events from their pasts.
Light It Up – A follow up to How It Went Down. A black teen, tall for her age, hurrying home bundled in her hooded, winter coat and shielded from the outside world with headphones in her ears is gunned down by police, and a community unravels.

Books for Adults

DC Women of Action (Hardcover) – A celebration of the women of DC.
Deadly Ride (Trade Paperback)   – Book 3 in the Britton Bay mystery series. Molly investigates a death at a classic car show.
Frugal Lissa Digs Up a Body (e-book – October 26) – Book 2 in the Frugal Lissa series. A murder at a community fundraising event draws Lissa into sleuthing again. I have book 1 on my Kindle. I can’t wait to get caught up on this series.
Glass Slippers, Ever After and Me (Trade Paperback) – A woman trying to make a writing career with re-imagined fairy tales watches her crush and her dreams slipping away. So she shifts gears and writes about women living authentically. But when her book is picked up, the publisher wants to carefully curate her life to help with sales, and it might cost her everything she tried to salvage by changing her writing.
Meant to Be Yours (Mass Market Paperback)   –  A man and a woman determined that they are too broken or too uninterested in a real relationship  to ever marry engage in a “fling” that could change their views on marriage and forever. By Susan Mallery.
Not Sparking Joy (Paperback comic collection) – The latest collection of Zits cartoons.
Pooches, Pumpkins, And Poison (e-book) – First in the Pooch Party Cozy Mystery series. The local animal shelter’s adoption manager figures it would be great for the dogs to be part of the Halloween celebration in town. And the celebration would have been great – if she hadn’t stumbled over a dead body. Available for free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
Secrets of the Chocolate House (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Found Things series after The Little Shop of Found Things. While shopping for items for her antique shop, Xanthe hears the song of a copper chocolate pot and has a disturbing vision of the man she left in the past who is now in great danger.
Twice in a Blue Moon (Trade Paperback) – A rising star, Tate Jones steps onto the set of her new, big project and comes face to face with her first love – the man who betrayed her years ago. I’ll be reviewing this one later this week.
The Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Cookbook: 100 Simple Low-Carb Recipes with 10 Ingredients or Less (Hardcover) – If you have tried following a Keto or low-carb or no grain diet, you are probably familiar with the website The Wholesome Yum. This is the author’s first book. I have this one on my wish list for this week.
Yes We Did: Photos and Behind-the-Scenes Stories Celebrating Our First African-American President (Hardcover) – A celebration of the Obama years in the White House.

REVIEW: Suggested Reading by David Connis

REVIEW: Suggested Reading by David Connis

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Clara Evans has always been something of a reading fanatic. As a kid, she could only read books AT the library. Money was super tight, and her parents wanted no risk of overdue fees. When Clara found an abandoned library card, she used it to secretly check books out – and she never earned a fine!

Books were what got Clara admitted to her fancy school, Lupton Academy. They’re also what prompted her to start a nonprofit that runs Tiny Little Libraries around town and gets grants for school libraries in need. In fact, Clara’s night-before-school-starts tradition is called the “Evans Highlighter All-Nighter” which involves her staying up all night to read. And this year – before her last high school first-day-of-school – she stays up to read a new book from her favorite author. And it’s amazing.

Clara’s tired, but walking on  a post-book high when she gets to the school library for her volunteer shift. That’s when she discovers the school is puling 50 books from the library collection. And they’ve done it before. Students didn’t notice, thinking the books were just checked out when they couldn’t find them on the shelves. But now Clara is aware. And she’s ready to do something about it!

Review

This was fascinating! There have been a few other banned books/start-a-secret-library-in-your-locker sort of stories in the last couple years (Ban This Book, Property of the Rebel Librarian), but this stands in a category by itself. Part of the reason is that this is YA rather than middle grade. With the older audience, the author can explore some more mature content, reasoning and emotions. The other reason is how the protagonist is challenged and changed by this journey. At one point she feels like books – in some ways her most faithful companions through life – have betrayed her or failed her. She also wrestles with significant risk for her protest. All of these pieces made for a fantastic reading experience for me.

This would be a tremendous book for class reading or for book groups. You have all of the book related material, but you also have other teen issues like underage drinking, sexual identity, depression and suicide for discussion.

While the ending didn’t punch all the buttons I was looking for, I was pleased with how everything wrapped up for Clara and her friends. Be sure to check this one out! (Language, LGBTQ+, Trigger Warning: suicide)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BONUS REVIEW: An Unforgettable Christmas by Ginny Baird

BONUS REVIEW: An Unforgettable Christmas by Ginny Baird

Posted on by Jaymie

[ I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Hallmark Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Sam owns Singleton’s Jewelers. He’s something of a workaholic. First in, last out. He has great ideas for holiday promotions that have crowds at the shop door. He teaches his employees the ABCs of salesmanship – assertiveness, buying opportunities, and closing the deal – and keeps his expectations for himself and others high.

Angie is a single mom who lives in an apartment with her mom and grandmother. It’s the perfect set up for their family. She works for Sam as the shop’s accountant and sales person, a salaried position. Which means when Sam needs her to put in extra hours, or if reports need to be run, there’s no extra pay for her extra time. Angie likes her job, and even likes working for Sam. But he can be uptight, and he doesn’t always recognize how his choices impact his employees, especially an employee with a family.

But everything changes when Sam falls on some ice and cracks his head on the ground. Angie’s there and takes him to the hospital. Sam is essentially fine – but he has no memory of his life. He’s a little ashamed to realize he has no one to help him as he recovers – his father isn’t in good enough health, and he doesn’t seem to have any close friends or a girlfriend. So Angie says Sam can come home with her. While he hopes to get his memory back soon, this arrangement gives Sam a chance to see what a treasure Angie has been all this time.

Review

I was so excited to see Hallmark Publishing releasing books this fall – original stories and novelizations of their movies. Unfortunately, this book didn’t live up to my hopes.

The story is fine. It holds together and fits the pattern fans have come to expect from Hallmark. I rated this 3 stars because the story is solid, but that is a generous rating for my personal enjoyment of the story. I am sure other readers will find this to be a delightful and sweet holiday story. But for me, it had no spark and felt predictable.

Angie and her family were sweet. Sam was uptight – but that was it. He went from uptight to warm. It wasn’t a big shift. His relationship with his dad and his old friend lent some more weight to the idea that there’s a personality change, but it was still too low key for me. And I felt no chemistry between Sam and Angie.

I would say Hallmark fans who are intrigued by the premise should try this one out. Many other reviewers have loved this. YMMV.*

Rating: ♥♥♥

*Your mileage may vary

REVIEW: The Nobody People by Bob Proehl

REVIEW: The Nobody People by Bob Proehl

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Del Rey in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

An explosion at a mall.
Later another at a church.
Video shows the same kid at the center of both. But how could he survive the first to cause the second? Why do the scenes look nothing like a typical bomb explosion?

It’s because the perpetrator is a Resonant – one of a group of humans with unusual gifts or powers. Most Resonants just want to live their lives without drama or strife. But there will always be a pocket of people who refuse to use their powers for good.

Avi Hirsch is drawn to the “bomb” sites by a friend at Homeland Security. As a reporter, Avi has a reputation as the guy who writes about dangerous locations and moments in a way that everyone wants to read them. His experience gives him a unique view at these particular sites. The Resonants approach Avi, too, to ask him to tell their story. They want a positive spin out in the world before stories like ones about these explosions get tied to them. But Avi’s skills as a reporter aren’t the main reason they’ve reached out to him. It’s Avi’s young daughter, Emmeline. She’s one of them, and she’s incredibly powerful.

Review

If you go into this with the X-men movies in mind, this will feel familiar. Mutants with powers. “Normal” humans become paranoid or want to kill/control the powerful. You get the idea. This also reminded me some of The Darkest Minds with powerful kids, and powered and unpowered folks out to control them.

I had a hard time deciding on a rating for this. It’s long, and big pieces of the story lay dormant for awhile while other pieces amp up. You can almost forget who is who and what is going on in those dormant pieces because the lag is so long. Characters who play a huge role in this book are dead by the end – but the story isn’t over. It’s like they were phase one characters and now we’ve moved onto phase two. At times it was all too much – too long of a story, too slow in development, too dark and violent for my preferences. I kept turning pages more to be done than to see what happened next in some of the story threads.

At the same time, I was also completely caught up in parts of the story. I wanted to know who was behind things and why certain events happened. I was invested in seeing this America find even footing between powered and “regular” people. This takes the hate speech and discrimination of our era and kicks them up to a whole new level. I wanted to see how that played out in the book. I never really “liked” any of the characters, but I was invested in seeing what happened to some of them. So I was generous in my rating based less on my personal enjoyment of the book and more on its potential for the right reader.

To its credit, I felt like this book does a great job with diversity. There are characters of different races and sexual identities, and those elements of the characters felt fully integrated. I never felt like any of them were wedged in just to check off the diversity box. The comparisons of powered people as a minority group to racial and sexual identity minorities and the accompanying hate crimes, lynchings, etc. are obvious and addressed directly. And that was well done, too.

If you enjoy intricate, deep dives into a super powered world, do not miss this one. It’s well written and incredibly twisty. And you’ll have at least as many questions at the end as you have at the beginning. But for me it was too long and too slow in parts to truly enjoy. Maybe with more judicious editing, this could have been a faster-paced sci-fi thriller. (Sexual references, language, LBGTQ+, violence, drinking and drug use)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Perfect Star by Rob Buyea

REVIEW: The Perfect Star by Rob Buyea

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Delacorte Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Eighth grade begins for the stars of The Perfect Score series.

  • Gavin is playing football after overcoming all the hassles from last year. After a summer with no coach, the team finally has one, but the unconventional choice leads to drama for the school and community.
  • Randi’s future in gymnastics is up in the air after a serious injury.
  • Natalie is leading the group once again, this time as they start up a school newscast in place of the newspaper.
  • Trevor and Natalie are still dating, but it’s causing a major rift in Trevor and Mark’s friendship.
  • Scott is enthusiastic about everything from being the weatherman on the newscast to being the stat guy for the football team. But his enthusiasm for protecting the new football coach leads to some issues.

And that’s just the beginning of an 8th grade year that is going to challenge these kids and draw them together tighter than ever.

Review

Wow. This was so good! It’s been delightful to watch these kids grow up and grow together over the three books in this series. And I LOVE this group of kids – even more than I loved the group in the author’s previous series. They are quirky and genuine and flawed and family to one another.

So much happens in this book (including at least one “suspend disbelief here” moment), but it all holds together around the idea of this core group getting older and gaining some maturity as well as compassion and empathy for others. Family, friendship, and football are major themes, but this also touches on homelessness, insurance and health care, grief, bullying, and dating (hand holding, peck on the cheeks/lips). This book is perfect for middle school readers in its richness and depth.

When I talk with readers about stories told from the perspective of several characters, I always end up talking about Rob Buyea‘s books. He writes these great, nuanced characters, and then turns them loose to tell their stories in their own ways. And I fall in love with the stories every time.

Don’t miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

BOOK NEWS: October 15, 2019

BOOK NEWS: October 15, 2019

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the books releasing this week!

Books for Kids

 

Buck Denver’s Big BIG Bubble: A Lesson in Courage – Buck tries to keep himself safe by living in a big bubble, but his friends have to rescue him and talk with him about courage when the bubble starts bouncing out of control.
The Crayons’ Christmas – Duncan and the crayons celebrate Christmas with this interactive Christmas book with letters to open, a game, a poster, and more.
Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment – Based on the viral photograph of young Parker mesmerized by the portrait of Michelle Obama. The illustrations on the sample pages I have seen are stellar. I can’t wait to read this one!
Pete the Cat’s Super Cool Science Fair – Book with stickers about Pete and his friends enjoying the science fair.
Sulwe – From actress Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther’s Nakia). A young Black girl feels like her skin is too dark – darker than her family members, darker than the kids at school, dark enough to keep kids from wanting to be her friend. I’ve only seen a few sample pages, but they left me in tears. This is a hard but honest, beautiful story. I can’t wait to read the whole thing!
This Is Not That Kind of Book – New picture book from the author of the fantastic Hero’s Guide series! Just when you think you are reading one kind of story, this wild book turns in another direction. I can’t wait to read this one.
The Upper Case: Trouble in Capital City – So many good picture books out this week! This is the sequel to the terrific 7 Ate 9.  Private I is on another case when all the capital letters go missing. This is on my list, too!
All the Fun Winter Things – Book 4 in the Arnold and Louise early chapter book series. While Arnold is ready to hibernate, Louise doesn’t want him to miss all the winter fun. Darling!
DC Super Hero Girls at Metropolis High (Graphic Novel) – Launches a new look at the DC Super Hero Girls. This time the girls are getting in trouble at school for always being late (fighting criminals is rarely an after-school only activity), and they have to join a club to show some school spirit. I’m not sure how a joining a club helps with an attendance problem, but the sample pages I saw of this were great, and I am eager to dig into the whole book.
Superhero Playbook – Real life lessons for kids from their favorite fictional superheroes.
Pizza, Peanut Butter, and Pickles – The latest Fast Facts book from the world of My Weird School, this time with facts about food.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Allies – From the author of such books as Refugee and Ban this Book comes this new novel about D-Day.
Charlie Brown: All Tied Up – Comics collection
Dog Diaries: Happy Howlidays! – Book 2 in the Dog Diaries series. Junior the dog shares his story of the holidays.
The Dragon Warrior – Based on Chinese mythology. A girl and her brother go on an adventure to defeat demons and discover her destiny. Looks like this would be a good fit for Rick Riordan fans.
Give and Take – From the author of Finding Perfect and Smart Cookie (♥♥♥♥). A girl struggling with the death of her grandmother and other changes in her family starts hoarding.
Hope: Project Middle School – From actress Alyssa Milano. A bright, optimistic girl tackles middle school head on, but discovers things don’t go exactly as she planned.
The King Is Born – Book 7 in the Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series focuses on the birth of Jesus.
Knock Three Times – Book 3 in the Wizards of Once series from the author of the How to Train Your Dragon series.
The Memory Keeper – A girl with a stellar memory tries to help her aging grandmother by finding the past trauma that must be the cause of her fading memory.
Naked Mole Rat Saves the World – Sometimes without warning kit (with a small k) turns into a naked mole rat. It started when her best friend was hurt in an acrobatic performance – in fact, both girls changed that day, inside and out. I am curious about this one!
The Perfect Star – The kids from the Perfect Score series by Rob Buyea (Because of Mr. Terupt) are back for their 8th grade year. I’ll be reviewing this one later this week.
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky – First in a new series from the imprint Rick Riordan Presents. This one focuses on African-American folk heroes and West African mythology. A boy who lost his best friend in a bus accident is not looking forward to “recovering” at his grandparents’ house in Alabama. But when a weird creature steals the only thing he has from his best friend, he chases after it and finds himself in a fight to save the world.
Wings of Fire: The Hidden Kingdom Graphic Novel – The graphic novel version of the third book in the original Wings of Fire series. I have enjoyed both of the books in this graphic novel series so far.
What Is the Story of Doctor Who? AND What Is the Story of The Wizard of Oz? – Read about the stories behind the Doctor Who franchise and The Wizard of Oz.
Fireborne – Book one in a new series about two orphans who are on the path to becoming dragon riders when the enemies of their world rise up to drag the world back to the old ways. As lines are drawn and one of the teens is drawn back toward the family he lost, they will have to decide if the family they have forged together will be more important than what they left in the past. This sounds great! My library has already bought this one for the collection.
Jackpot – From the author of Dear Martin (♥♥♥♥). A teen who sold the winning lottery ticket at her gas station job tries to track down the winner who hasn’t cashed in his/her prize.
The Never Tilting World – After generations of twin rulers, a rift splits a pair of sisters so that one ends up ruling the dark half of their planet while the other rules in perpetual sunlight. Each has a daughter who is sent out on a quest that might be just what the world needs to be united again. I’ve requested this one from the library.
Our Wayward Fate – A Taiwanese girl who hides behind a bland existence to blend in and avoid harassment finds a kindred spirit in the new boy at school who is also Taiwanese. But when the two start dating, the girl’s mother tells her to end the relationship. As the girl digs into her mother’s past to find out why, she uncovers family secrets. Sounds great!
War Girls – In a future war-torn Nigeria, two sisters dream of a life beyond the existence that’s been handed to them. Our library has already bought this one, too!
Girls Who Run the World: 31 CEOs who Mean Business – Highlights the women CEOs of companies like Spanx, 23andMe, Soul Cycle and more. I bet this book will be inspiring! I’ve requested this one from the library.

Books for Adults

The Adventure of the Peculiar Protocols: Adapted from the Journals of John H. Watson, M. D. (Hardcover) – Holmes and Watson board the Orient Express to investigate the death of a British Secret Service agent who had proof of a secret society determined to take over the world.
The Art of Theft (Trade Paperback) – Book 4 in the Lady Sherlock series. Charlotte Holmes finds herself at a Yuletide Ball trying to secure the secrets posted behind a work of art that is about to be sold. This sounds terrific – an unusual premise!
Better Watch Out (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Merry & Bright Handcrafted Mystery series. A Christmas parade participant who is determined to publicly share her own “Santa’s Naughty List” is found dead, and Merry is sleuthing for a killer.
Christmas Angels (Trade Paperback) – A woman longs to return her grandparents’ inn to its former glory, and her neighbor – who had a huge crush on her when they were kids – is eager to help, but an accident leaves the woman wondering if she has made a huge mistake.
Christmas Shopaholic (Hardcover) – The Shopaholic is stuck hosting Christmas when things take a turn towards disaster.
The Devil’s Own Game (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the Somebody’s Bound to Wind Up Dead mystery series. After winning the lottery and falling in love, Tom and Allie have started a detective agency. And it’s becoming obvious that someone is still bitter about the couple’s good fortune. I haven’t read book 2 yet, but I am eager to get caught up on this series. I got such a kick out of the first book!
Finding Christmas (Hardcover/Trade Paperback) – Trying to help her boyfriend out of his Scrooge-ish slump, Emmie plans a Christmas scavenger hunt that will lead him to Christmas Point where she has planned a romantic weekend. But the wrong guy has been picking up her clues! This is at the top of my list for this week.
The Guardians (Hardcover) – The latest from John Grisham. A man convicted of a murder he didn’t commit has been languishing in jail for 22 years when he reaches out to the Guardians, a nonprofit that takes on a few innocence cases a year. But there are powerful people committed to keeping their secrets and keeping this man in jail for the rest of his life. I haven’t cared for the recent Grisham books, but this one sounds like one I might have to try.
Murder in Black Tie (e-book) – Book 4 in the High Society Lady Detective series where murder at a black tie event puts Olive on the case to protect her cousin Peter. These look fun!
Owl Be Home for Christmas (Hardcover) – Book 26 in the delightful Meg Langslow Mystery series! A Christmas-time conference on owls ends in a snow storm – and murder. I can’t wait to read this one! I have read every book in this series, including the 5 previous Christmas books. I love this series!
Read and Buried (Hardcover) – Book 6 in the Lighthouse Library series. When repair work to the library digs up a Civil-War era diary and a coded map, people just can’t stay away from the library or the artifact. When murder follows, Lucy is drawn into sleuthing again.
Be More RGB: Speak Truth and Dissent with Supreme Style (Hardcover gift book) – Includes quotes and inspirational stories about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation (Trade Paperback) – A guide to help Christians pursue racial reconciliation and be leaders of the process for their communities.
Creative Cookie Decorating: Buttercream Frosting Designs and Tips for Every Occasion (Hardcover) – ‘Tis the season for holiday baking! Includes detailed instructions, instrument lists, and pictures.
Double Blessing: How to Get it, How to Give It (Hardcover) – The latest from Mark Batterson is based on the idea that the first blessing is what God gives to us and the “double” is what we give back to God.
Hello, Cookie Dough: 110 Doughlicious Confections to Eat, Bake & Share (Hardcover) – Safe to eat cookie dough as well as recipes to bake. This looks like a fantastic resource – lots of clear instructions, photos, etc.
Live in Grace, Walk in Love: A 365-Day Journey (Hardcover devotional) – The latest from Bob Goff (Love Does)
Rachel Ray 50: Memories and Meals from a Sweet and Savory Life: A Cookbook (Hardcover) – Memoir and cookbook combined.
Surviving the Great Indoors: A Baby Blues Collection (Paperback Comics Collection) – Comics collection.
To Hell with the Hustle: Reclaiming Your Life in an Overworked, Overspent and Overconnected World (Trade Paperback) – Embrace the slow, relaxed pace of Jesus.
Whole 30 Friends & Family: 150 Recipes for Every Social Occasion (Hardcover) – Entertaining on Whole 30.
Whole in One: Complete, Healthy Meals in a Single Pot, Sheet Pan or Skillet (Hardcover) – One pot/skillet meals.

REVIEW: 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

REVIEW: 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Sophie is happy to let her parents leave town for Christmas to go help her pregnant older sister. She’ll spend the holiday with her grandparents and large extended family. In fact, she’ll be heading there after her parents leave. Although maybe not as quickly as they assume.

Sophie is hoping to spend a few hours with her boyfriend, Griffin, before going to her grandparents. This is a perfect time for them to have quality alone time. If only she can find him! He doesn’t answer his phone when she first calls. Sophie finally finds him at a party. And overhears him say he was glad when he thought she would be gone for Christmas break because he thinks he wants to break up with her.

Sophie is devastated. She cries most of the way to her grandparents’ house. And she tells her Nonna all about it. By the next day, her whole extended family knows. and before the humiliation even sets in, her grandmother has gotten the bright idea to have the family set her up on some blind dates over the holiday to help her shake off this bad break up. The humiliation knows no end!

Review

A delight from start to finish! This is now the book I am telling everyone about. I absolutely adored this. The premise is fantastic and funny. Sophie’s extended family is a hoot with all these blind dates. I loved the four main characters as well as the larger, quirky crew. The family pieces of this – Sophie’s sister’s complicated pregnancy, checking in with her parents who were several hours away during the story, etc. – were a great B-story to complement the blind date/break up part of the book.

I laughed SO MUCH with this! The blind dates, the family betting, the social media sharing and so many other things. I didn’t want the reading experience to end because it was so fun! I will definitely be buying my own copy of this and reading it again. I would personally pair this with Prince in Disguise for two fantastic, funny holiday romcoms.

I can’t recommend this highly enough. Don’t miss this one! (One of the dates may be on the risque side for younger readers.)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

BONUS REVIEW: Dachshund Through the Snow by David Rosenfelt

BONUS REVIEW: Dachshund Through the Snow by David Rosenfelt

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Fourteen years ago, Kristen McNeil was killed. She was a young woman – 18 – and her body was found by a rundown stadium. While she had DNA under her fingernails, the police couldn’t find a match. Until now.

Andy Carpenter’s wife, Laurie, is a huge fan of Christmas. One of her favorite parts is claiming Christmas wishes for families in their community and using Andy’s considerable wealth to meet them. This year she pulls a tag for a boy named Danny. Laurie is happy to provide everything he asks for – a coat for his mom, and a sweater for his dachshund, Murphy. But Danny also asks Santa to bring his dad home. As an investigator, Laurie’s the perfect person to find Noah Traynor. Except Danny’s mom acts like she doesn’t want him found.

Noah Traynor has been hiding in a motel, but it’s only a matter of time until the police find him. His brother just had to do one of those DNA kits. Once the results are uploaded, they are fair game for law enforcement. While Noah didn’t kill Kristen, he knows his DNA would have been at the scene because he had been there with her that night.

Once Noah is arrested, Andy’s on the case. Danny’s Christmas wish is to have his dad home – and Laurie’s going to make sure they do everything they can to make that happen!

Review

This was delightful! My favorite characters, a holiday story, an excellent mystery, and several adorable dogs. What’s not to love?!

Andy is in great form in this book. The dry humor was excellent. The author even gets a mention in the book, which was a hoot. The legal support team plays a smaller role in this book, but they all get equal time compared to one another, except of course for Laurie. There are a couple new characters who figured prominently in this one – not the Traynors, but other characters – that I loved! Those characters and their role in this book sets the stage for Rosenfelt’s spin-off series/book, The K Team, coming in 2020.

The mystery in this was fantastic. There was no organized crime angle like in many of the previous books, so this felt fresh. And my guess for the solution was off base all the way to the end. The wrap up was clever, and I thoroughly enjoyed all the twists and turns.

It was a Christmas book that introduced me to the Andy Carpenter series three years ago (The Twelve Dogs of Christmas, Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥), and they are among my favorites in the series. If you haven’t read an Andy Carpenter book before, give this one a try. It’s book 20 in the series, but the Christmas books seem especially new-reader-friendly to me. I don’t think a newcomer would have any trouble following the main action of this book. Of course, series fans should definitely not miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Texts from Mittens: Friends and Family Edition by Angie Bailey

REVIEW: Texts from Mittens: Friends and Family Edition by Angie Bailey

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

Mittens is back for another collection of text messages. His texting partners include Mom, Grandma, Earl the dog, their neighbor Drunk Patty and two other cats – Stumpy, who has a catnip addiction, and Fiona, Mittens’ girlfriend.

Fans will find everything they’ve come to expect from Texts from Mittens in this collection:

  • fun with boxes
  • empty food dish drama
  • hashtags and autocorrect issues
  • Grandma to the rescue, and lots of other fun scenarios.

Our family has been enjoying the 2019 page-per-day calendar starring Mittens and his family, and this content is just as fun. As a cat person, I saw a lot of familiar factors – food, litter boxes, toys trapped under the fridge, etc. Many of Mitten’s dilemmas will strike a chord with cat people. If you enjoy cat humor, be sure to check out this collection!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥